


Forging the Path || Din Djarin x OFC

by RayneTheWolf108



Series: This is The Way || Mandalorian [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Age Difference, Baby Yoda loves his mom and dad, Din is a softie, F/M, Force Healing (Star Wars), Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Helmets, Idiots in Love, Implied Sexual Content, Lightsabers (Star Wars), Mandalorians (Star Wars), Mutual Pining, Season 1, Slow Burn, The Mandalorian (TV) Spoilers, Togrutas (Star Wars), Touch-Starved Din Djarin, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, mutual respect
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-14 11:09:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 38,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29541459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RayneTheWolf108/pseuds/RayneTheWolf108
Summary: When you spend a year with someone, you tend to form a bond, a friendship.She's spent a year with him and still couldn't tell if she could even call them friends. But then-Zelona Darr is searching for her parents, who have vanished. However, she had little in the ways of credits, with no ship to speak of. Her only option was bounty hunting, so she teams up with the only person who looks like he won't shoot her as soon as she turned away.A goddamn Mandalorian.This... this would be rough.
Relationships: Din Djarin & Grogu | Baby Yoda, Din Djarin & Grogu | Baby Yoda & Original Female Character(s), Din Djarin/Original Female Character(s), Grogu | Baby Yoda & Original Female Character(s)
Series: This is The Way || Mandalorian [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2166081
Comments: 6
Kudos: 10





	1. Information

**Author's Note:**

> Just some info on the OC, Zelona (Zel) Darr

So, thought I'd just start this story with a little page telling you about our OC protagonist, Zelona Darr. She is a very dear character to me, one that I've had for years, nearing 5 years come to think of it. Wow, oldest OC. Anyways, I love her, and I hope that the readers will come to enjoy her as I have.

To start this out: Her parents. Zelona is the daughter of Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex. If that is a major turn-off for you, you are more than welcome to leave. It is not a huge plot point in the story, but it does get mentioned. So warning right away.

However, I have no problem with people changing it in their heads that someone else is the father. But regardless, Ahsoka is her biological mother, and Rex helped raise her when she was first born.

Her last name, 'Darr' is a name that she adopted when she was 21 as a cover name. The last name Tano was recognizable to many, and she preferred not having that link public knowledge. Her first name, however, is the name that her parents gave her when she was born.

She is about 27 at the time of this story, making her about... 8 years younger than Din. If age gaps bother you, well, then I'm sorry because I'm not changing it. You can ignore it, and read it as you please though. I can't stop you. (If I got Din's Age wrong then whoops, but dammit he is 35 here)

She is force-sensitive. However, she is not as powerful as her mother, due to the blood on her dad's side. In this, I imagine the process of a force sensitive clone was made nearly impossible, which affected Zelona. She is able to use it, and is similar to her mother in both force techniques and lightsaber combat. She carries a standard saber, green (i fucking love green), and while she does not have another one, she had a kyber crystal on a necklace tucked into her shirt.

Despite her lightsaber training, she is a decent shot with a blaster, curtesy of Papa Rex, because she was born shortly after the end of the Clone Wars. (If you're wondering, Ahsoka was aged up in my Clone Wars stories so she is in her mid 20s when she has Zel, making her late 40s/early 50s as of now. Don't worry, Ahsoka was not a teen mom.)

As you might have guessed, Zelona is a Togruta, or at least a Togruta hybrid. While she had montrals and Lekku, along with orange skin like her mother, her eyes and personality are very much her father's. She has a code, and she will stick by it unless it is being used for the wrong purposes. Height-wise, with her montrals included, she stands at 6'. Without them she would be 5' 7''. 

Below, we have a little reference sheet, just because I like drawing, dammit!

Ugh, you have no idea how many headaches this drawing gave me... if I can help it, I probably won't draw again. However, as people who have read my other stories, I find it important for people to know what the character looks like. 

That being said, I don't discourage people from imagining a whole new look for Zel. 

ANYWAYS

References include:

Pinterest

\- Warren Louw for proportions

\- Reference for Lekku was from Tumblr but I found it on Pinterest. Also have no clue who the artist is, the link did take me anywhere.... but I'm making it clear I used a ref

Anastasia-Berry on DA

My previous works

And as some of you might tell, her outfit is based off that drawing of an Ahsoka outfit that we never really got to see.


	2. The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelona's Past and her meeting with Din Djarin

_Experience outranks everything_ , her father told her. It was always what he said to her growing up, it was his form of goodbye. When she and her Mother left him with her two uncles, that was what he told her. Even gave her a piece of his armor and a wink, not knowing if this would be the last time he'd see his daughter. But it was for the best, as she found out years later.

All of them were survivors of the Clone Wars and the Jedi-Purge. Something one of her uncles, Wolfe, couldn't quite forget. She saw the way he stared at her when she was young, first discovering her gifts. She was 5 at the time, and had been so excited, finding out she would be just like her mom. However, when she told them, a wave of fear had filled the room, for various reasons.

At age 15, her mother had explained further on why things happened the way they did. Why she grew up mostly without her dad except for the holocalls that eventually stopped for unknown reasons. She and her father were terrified because of the danger she would be in for her childhood, and potentially her entire life. And her uncle... well one of them, Gregor, saw it as a sign of hope, that she was their new reason for fighting, to give her a better future. But Wolfe... all he saw was the danger having not one, but two force-sensitives with the group.

He had cared for her, she remembered. How much fun she had with her uncles when her parents had gone for some time to themselves or out for supplies. They'd toss her into the air, even with her aging bodies, and tell her all of the stories from the war, the happy ones, obviously since she was such a young age.

Wolfe grew distant to her, even so far as leaving the room immediately as she walked in, even if he was eating or talking to someone. He'd just leave. She had no idea what she had done wrong, what made him so mad at her. In her brain, she thought it was because earlier in the week she found his old helmet and decided to parade around in it, pretending to be her uncle, a hero in the war. He had laughed then, but now he wasn't.

Her parents didn't explain, neither did Gregor. They just told her he was having a hard time right now. But they never could give her a straight answer when she asked why.

Thankfully, they were on a isolated planet with a lot of room for their little group to live. It was a simple farm like place. A house, with a large field nearby where her mother practiced and trained. Soon it became her training area too. Instead of her mom's cool glow sticks, they used regular sticks. Immediately she wanted to use two like mom, but the older togruta has laughed and said they needed to start small.

And so they did.

While it had become apparent that she was not as gifted as her mother, she was clearly force-sensitive. One of the first things her mother had taught her was how to hide that, make it almost invisible to others like them. Said it was to keep her safe. It worried her that she had to hide, but as a child she didn't understand the real danger it actually meant. 

And what that meant for her family.

It all came to a head the following year. Wolfe has seemingly gotten better, and it was like old times again. He even watched her spar a few times. But then, she had come running into the main room, smiling from montral to montral, a familiar object in her hand, bouncing like a little rocket. In her hands, was her mom's lightsaber that she had found in a box under her parent's bed. She showed it to her uncle, unaware of the way his body tensed up, and the glossy look of terror he had when she ignited it, a blue light illuminating the room around them.

She swung it, a bit unbalanced by it as it was much heavier than the sticks she used in practice. Her golden eyes were in awe of this weapon, so fixated, that the grumbles and shaking behind her never even registered. Her back was to him, and then she quickly turned and faced him, saber still ignited in hand-

It all happened so fast she didn't remember what happened, only knowing from what her parents had told her. And from what she had heard, she was thankful for the lack of detail of her memory. All she remembered was the feelings. Not events or words, but the feelings that threatened to overwhelm the small child she had been. Despite that, she wanted to know. 

They said they were outside, enjoying a quiet drink to themselves in the field nearby, a rare moment for just them since they had formed their little family, when a screech came from the house, too high to be Gregor or Wolfe, and the amount of horror her mother felt pushed her to nearly breaking the door down. They were there within seconds, Rex having his blaster out, ready to eliminate the threat in his home.

Inside, they saw Wolfe, huddle in his chair, hands covering his ears and muttering to himself, eyes squeezed shut. On the table, just a few inches from the clone's hand was his blaster. The tip was smoking. He had fired a shot. But at what? And what would make such a wounded noise? The dread that filled her and the fear that echoed through their home was enough of an answer.

So her mother had asked him. Where was she? Where was her daughter? The question only seemed to make it worse, his hands clamping down and curling further into himself. His mumbles had turned into silent apologies, his body beginning to shake.

A snarl had echoed through the house, and from her hiding place under her parent's bed, it terrified her, and she scooted further back until her back pressed against the wall furthest from the door. Footsteps echoes outside the room, quickly, then a pause, then more shuffling. She heard her name, but with each time her mother called for her she curled further into herself.

The footsteps stopped outside the door. The door slid open, and a whimper escaped her. Her arms hugged herself, ignoring the pain in her shoulder, tears clouding her vision as she tried to remain quiet. A pair of boots came into view from her spot under the bed, stopping in front of her. She recognized the boots, bringing a new wave of tears to her eyes.

Her mother bent down and looked underneath, seeing her. Her shoulders, once tight with rage and concern, had slumped when she saw her daughter. But the feeling of relief was not for long. 

Her daughter was crying, and waves of fear surrounded her.

It took perhaps 30 minutes to coax her out from under the bed. And as soon as she was out, the child and clung to her mother, almost painfully pinching her skin, but she ignored it, holding her daughter in her arms. She shielded her child from the door, from the rest of their family, cooing to her, trying to calm her down. But as her daughter calmed, her own anger grew.

The way her mother told it to her, it gave her shivers at the anger she felt coming from her guardian.

With her daughter now in the safety of her arms, she pulled back to look her over, make sure she wasn't hurt. And if she was- that was it. She saw it as soon as she pulled away. The shoulder was tensed up, and from the curve of her collarbone to the slope of her shoulder, a blistering wound was cut through her daughtered skin. The area around it was burned, and thankfully the wound wasn't too deep, but it made her stomach drop.

It would scar. It was a graze, thankfully, but the damage was done.

If she was lucky, it could fade with time, but the idea that her daughter would have to live with the memory of being shot by her own family was worse than the wound itself.

That's what her mother had told her anyways. 

That she held her tightly after that, purring to calm her daughter in the way her biology commanded, taking her to the room her daughter slept in. That she put bacta on the wound, feeling her chest tighten when her daughter whimpered in pain at first. And once her daughter was asleep, she knew what she had to do.

Her mother couldn't tell her anymore, but it cleared up so much of her life. She barely even remembered that night. Anything she even remembered from the incident was blurry, almost in a dream-like affect. The shouting of her mother at her uncle, the argument between her parents on what to do... and the worst thing she remembered was hearing her mother saying that she was taking her daughter and leaving. Her mom loved her dad, they had been through so much- but, her mother had spoken so softly then, she would not risk her daughter's life. The way the silence filled the house after she had said that, and the shocked voice of her father, trying to change her mind. 

She didn't.

It was a hard goodbye. Wolfe didn't come, but she could see him from one of the windows, looking miserable, her mother told her, that when she looked back on it now, she knew he felt guilty, and was happy to see them leave, for their own safety. He knew he was a risk to them, and that they had to do whatever it took to survive in this world that wanted them dead. Gregor was cheerful, telling her to have a grand time, to look for adventure, to be a hero; but even she as a child could tell he was devastated. And her father, he didn't even hide his pain. Her parents had their goodbye first, and then she said her last words to her father in person.

Experience outranks everything, he told her. A tear fell from his cheek as he hugged her goodbye. And to make sure she remembered him, he gave her two items. One, a special communicator for them to keep contact with one another, because there was no way her mother would just leave and have no contact with the few people that remained from her past. The second, his helmet. She wouldn't be able to wear it when she got older, but for now her montrals were small enough to her head to fit inside.

His signature jaig eyes were fading, and the thing was older than her and in rough condition, but to her it meant the world. She swore to guard it with her life, dead serious. It had made her father let out a bitter chuckle. They had hugged once more, and for a moment, she had considered just staying. It was risky, but her heart was crushed that she had to leave her family behind.

She knew her dad would have come with them. He had even offered, but her mother had denied him. He was the one keeping them together, and so he needed to stay, and make sure that everything would be okay. She promised they would be back, but everyone knew it was a half-truth. 

She wouldn't see her father in person for nearly 10 years.

The circumstances for their reunion were not ideal, they had a war to win, again, but it was one of the best days of her life. He had looked much different than when she had last saw him, but her mother had explained to her about the accelerated aging. His body was old, but his mind was still as sharp as it had been when she was young.

It was one of the few times she had seen her father cry. She was 15, and according to many, she looked a lot like her mother at that age. As soon as she saw her dad, she had dropped the saber she and her mother had crafted, a green blade much like her mother's first, and ran right into him, tackling him to the ground. She had thought him dead when the messages her mother sent were never answered. But now, he was here in the flesh, and it made her cry with relief.

She saw other rebels watch the father and daughter clinging to one another, exchanging fond glances with one another as they watched the reunion. Her family was together again.

Even her uncles were there. Gregor has picked her up and twirled her around, gushing over how much she had grown; then there was Wolfe. He had looked terrified when he saw her, but she saw a warmth in his unblinded eye. She must have surprised him when she gave him a hug and told him that she had missed him. It was true, though. 

Despite what had happened, she loved her uncles, and once her mom had explained some things of the past, she understood why what happened came to be. And she said as much.

They had been a family again. And despite all the pain they still had to go through, they were happy together.

Now they were gone.

She thought things would be normal now. The Empire had fallen, the Sith were dead. And it seemed the Jedi could make a return in the form of a young man named Luke Skywalker. She had met the man, being only a few years younger than him. They were polite, and she offered to help him, should he ever decide to reform the order. He had thanked her, but told her he first needed to find the practicalities before he found anyone to train.

She was told all about the Jedi before her time. The good, and the bad. Her mother had been a victim of both. She had been the example of what a jedi should have been, except for perhaps the brashness and intensity that had been amplified by her former master. And yet, when she had been framed for a crime, the Jedi cast her aside to preserve their reputation.

It horrified her, but it had explained much about her mother. Why she was critical of them, and when Luke asked her for aid, she had refused. She could not go back to that life. She had forged her own path, away from the Order, and she would stay on this path until her life came to an end. That, and she too, had a mission of her own. One she insisted going on alone, but her father had refused. They would go together.

She had offered to come to, but her parents had told her this was not her path to walk, and she had to find hers. She didn't understand.

Now they were gone. She had gone off to see the New Republic for herself, to see if that is what the force intended for her, and in that time, her parents were suddenly off the grid. Nothing was there, no way of communication, no idea of where they went. Just gone.

That had been nearing 11 months ago. She had nowhere to go, and no ship to use. All she had was access to their accounts, taking a small amount that they told her to take in case something happened to them, and hopped on a cruiser.

* * *

She had searched 3 planets, with nothing but her weapons, her father's helmet, and the force to guide her. Nothing. There was nothing to be found there, save for a few jobs that got her some credits. People had assumed from her weapons and skills she was a mercenary, and after the 5th time correcting people, she just went with it. 

Yes, she'd tell them. She was a small-time mercenary hoping to make a name for herself out here. It worked, and given she didn't have a ship of her own, it was very believable. And for a small-time hunter, that usually meant a lower price. It worked for her, and she ended up spending about a month on Tatooine, doing small jobs here and there to get credits to save up to get off planet. Sure, she had the account from her parents, but with the way the galactic economy was, which was shaky now that Imperial credits were becoming worthless the longer the New Republic was at work. 

Zelona Darr, the mercenary, became a little bit of a local name, actually. Compared to most she had low pay rates, and was good at getting the job done. She'd done all kinds of jobs. Running of bandits, delivering cargo, hunting trips... It was a nice little thing to have going. She was there for maybe... what, 2 months? She had enough money to get off planet, but she wanted to buy some spare parts.

Before her mother had disappeared, when she was maybe 19, she offered to train her in dual blade combat. It was risky, but also had pros compared to one saber. The war was still going on, and the training focused mainly on avoiding and deflecting blasters. Which, given there weren't many people with lightsabers- or beskar spears, was pretty helpful. It was weird at first, not being able to grip one saber in both hands, but her mother helped her smoothly adjust to the transition.

She used her mother's sabers in the practice, but she had to make her own second saber if she wanted to dual wield. She just thought it might be helpful should her other one get stolen. She had most of the parts, but she wanted something very specific to make the covering of the hilt. She wanted Beskar.

Despite her father being a clone of a Mandalorian, and not a true Mandalorian himself, he explained to her that most clones learned some of the basics about the culture and language during their trainings. They were by no means fluent, or even truly Mandalorian, nor did they consider themselves such, but the Jedi overseeing the clones had thought they should know a bit of their background. It wasn't helpful, by any means really, save for a few code words in Mando'a, but he told her it had helped them feel like people, and not just copies of another person.

She never thought much of it, her father being a near carbon copy of almost a million other people. He was her dad, and that made him special.

Regardless, she wanted to craft her lightsaber with Beskar, but the metal was almost as rare as a Mandalorian themselves. She heard of the Purge, and it was disheartening to learn that the people known for their skills in battle had been chased underground like womp rats. Despite never meeting one, she was familiar with the stories. As her parents served in the Siege of Mandalore, they had gotten to know them for more than their skills.

Sad that they were almost as non-existent as the Jedi.

By the time the third month had passed, she was ready to get off world. However, she had become fond of the place she was in, it was quiet, the people were polite, mostly, and for a majority of the time, they respected her. She had earned it, they told her. Sure, she got some nasty jobs occasionally, but those usually brought a change that was needed.

Somehow she landed a job to take out a local crime lord, or something. Scammer, maybe. People compared him to Jawas, stealing things that didn't belong to him, then he'd sell it, only to steal it back and get away with both product and credits. They couldn't give her a name, but they had an idea where he'd be, as well as his appearance. Twi'lek, red with a distinct tattoo of a bantha on his left shoulder, late 20s or early 30s. She was told he travelled alone, but to be wary, just in case.

She was getting a decent amount, about 20,000 for the job, so it wasn't too big a deal. Plus, with a blaster, her staff, and her lightsaber she was pretty prepared for this. All she had to do: sneak into the cantina he liked to visit, cuff him and drag his ass to where the New Republic had set up. Easy, done.

* * *

She found him in Mos Entha, relaxing for a drink in a cantina. She caught a look at him from the corner of her eye, and gazing over him found the tattoo on his shoulder. She smirked, and walked right up next to him and ordered a drink.

She felt his eyes on her, as the barkeep brought her a drink, which she sipped at. Pretending she just noticed him, she started up a conversation with him. Starting with simple flirty comments and smiles, he fell for it pretty quick, potentially seeing her as an easy scam. That or... she did not want to finish that, lest it make her vomit.

"So what brings a sweet lady like yourself here?" He grinned at her, showing off his sharpened teeth. He was leaned against the counter, one arm stablizing him and the other gesturing to make his words and pitches seem grand. If he wasn't in need of the money she might have rolled her eyes or snapped at him.

"Oh, just a job." She answered, cupping her drink in both hands. Blinking innocently with a small smile, she continued. "I'm hunting someone-" feeling the sudden stiffness from him she played it off "- some serial killer from a village or something. Said he was last seen in Mos Entha." And like that, tension gone. It was almost sad how good of a liar she could be. When you're undercover you kind of have to make it up as you go.

"Think you'll be able to handle him?" A glint was in his eye as his eyes raked over her face, her lekku, and most annoyingly, her chest. Because the planet was so hot she often went without her cloak, showing her, ahem, curves off. She felt the corner of her eye twitch.

"Oh, I'm not worried. I think he should be concerned about _handling me_ ," she spoke in a deep voice, as her hand trailed up his arm. The grin on the Twi'lek's face grew, and he leaned forward.

"Lucky for you, sweetheart, I happen to be a salesman." There we go. He was still up close to her, letting his fingers graze over his arm thoughtfully. "Wanna take a look?" The man licked his lips as he looked at hers. Her hands trailed from his arm to his neck.

"No thank you," and with that she slammed his forehead into the counter. He most definitely had a broken nose, if the shout of pain and the blood was anything to go by. He stumbled back, one hand cradling his nose while the other was held out in defense.

"Woah, woah, woah! What are you-" He didn't finish as she knocked his off his feet by swiping her leg behind his knees. He landed on his butt, and he scrambled away from her, but she caught him by the collar of his tank top.

"I told you. I'm hunting." She gave a devious smile as all blood drained from his face. He was stiff with shock, but she was able to press him against the bar, and using one hand to slid out her cuffs, clipped them around his hands behind his back. Only then, did she let go, hand on her hip. The man looked at her aghast, blubbering his words, trying to bribe her, or pleading innocence. Zelona just rolled her eyes and grabbed his upper arm and was heading towards the door-

It opened. And in the doorway stood a very distinct figure. His face was covered, but that only made him all the more recognizable, that was, if the armor didn't give it away.

A Mandalorian.

She stopped in her place, her grip on the conman's arm tightening. The Mandalorian stepped through the door and approached her. In his hand, a tracking hob, beeping rapidly the closer he got to them.

Crap.

The man stopped in front of them, then pocketed his tracker. With the helmet it was hard to read him, but she sensed his annoyance. "Are you in the guild?" For some reason she was surprised that he spoke. Her grip tightened even more and the twi'lek besides her grunted, feeling like blood to his arm was being cut off.

"What's it to you?" That was all she could really come up with. She never had the trouble of running into another mercenary, given most of the jobs she took weren't ones they often took. 

"It tells me," his hand rested on his blaster, "if the target is up for grabs." Oh, so this was a threat. Great.

Everyone in the cantina was looking at the two. Bounty hunters did often fight, but usually they took it outside. Seemed like these two might have at it inside; which would be a lot to fix. 

Her lips tightened as she looked him over. His armor was very beat up, looked like it would fall apart if she touched it. Her free hand went for her saber, mind at a stalemate. There was a chance to confront this peacefully, but how likely was that when she was all that stood between him and his bounty. It was worth a try, and it would benefit both. Mercenaries always liked to bargain, right?

"How about this: I give you the 'target' and in exchange," She say him tense up, like she was gonna say something like "give me the reward" or some shit, "- we split the bounty."

The man's grip on his blaster eased up but he did not move his hand. "And what would you get besides the reward?"

She snorted, "You get me off-world." She gripped her saber and took it off her belt. "But if you're not into it, I guess we can hash it out over a good rumble." The Mandalorian was silent, considering the deal.

Split the reward, not great, but it would mean he could claim it now and get his next job sooner. Also, one less body.

"Deal." His hand fell to his side, turning on his heel to go to the door. She followed him, dragging the twi'lek along with.

* * *

It was a day's trip to wherever they were going, and it was a long ass ride. In the bar he must have been in a good mood because he was dead silent now except for "don't touch that" and "give it to me". Both were involved with the target, who got shoved into carbonite as soon as they boarded his ship. It wasn't the greatest looking ship, but as long as it got her off-world, she was fine with it.

The planet... was not worth the wait. It was grey and muddled, almost like it was devoid of life. There was a town a few dozen meters from where they landed.

"The hell is this place?" She had asked him when they left the ship, leaving the target as a frozen decoration on the wall.

"Off-world." Was his dry reply.

Zelona bit her lip in frustration, but followed him nonetheless. In the marketplace, she saw several hunters, some jawas, an old woman selling cloth- there was a lot of people. It wasn't like the shops on Tatooine, more like on of those traveling merchants, who travelled from town to town to see their goods. Except this was just how it was here.

The Mandalorian went to a door, and upon entering it, the room fell silent. She entered slowly after, feeling all the eyes on her, seeing some people who looked shocked, others smug, and everyone else was either a droid or wearing a helmet. Stepping down the two steps to the floor, whispers were strung about the cantina, side glances made, some openly pointing.

They went over to an older man, human at a table. They slid in on one side, though she noticed her presence and proximity to him made the Mandalorian nervous. Guess he was a loner, if the whispers weren't enough of a tell. Even the man sitting across from them looked surprised by her appearance.

"Well, well, Mando! Never thought you'd stroll up in here with a partner-" The man held his hand out, which she took with a firm grip. "-Greef Karga. I help run the Guild."

"Charmed." She didn't deny being his partner, and the way his helmet angled towards her, he was either surprised, or annoyed. Maybe both. Definitely both. "Found me on Tatooine."

"Ah, so that's were the guy was? He was wanted by 4 different governments for his scams. Can't image he was easy to catch." Greef shook his head, blowing out a breath.

"Actually all it took was slamming his head against a counter." She hummed, crossing arms on the table.

Greef pointed at her, a chuckle escaping him as he looked at the Mandalorian. "I like her."

She flashed him a smile, one she was often told could steal anyone's heart. Her fangs, standard for her mother's species were shown off for the man who nodded at her. 

"Well, if it's true that you're partners... you'll need to be initiated into the Guild." He stood up and she followed him. The Mandalorian stayed behind, as if he had no clue what just happened.

The pair came out after about a half hour, and the Togruta held up a bag, and with a shake, revealed it's contents. Lots and lots of credits. "Come on, partner," she clapped his armored shoulder in an uncomfortably familiar way, and headed towards the door.

The other hunter looked at her back as she made her way out. He let out a sigh, pushing himself to stand up and go after her. As he left the cantina to catch up to his 'partner' when he heard Karga shout from behind him, "Good choice, Mando!" which made him walk all the more faster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I just bullshit my way through that, why yes, yes I did, I'm glad you noticed. 
> 
> Originally, the plan was Zel hired Mando to help her find her folks, but I decided against it because... come on, Zel could find them on her own. Sure it would be hard, but she wouldn't hire a bounty hunter to find a Jedi and a Clone Trooper.
> 
> So, here we are.
> 
> Zel is kinda a little ooc at the end, but meh. I imagine in a world where you grow up as a Force-User, you gotta be good at acting. So I'll just say she hasn't truly found her pace yet.
> 
> Anyways... next up: A time jump into Episode 1! WOOO


	3. The Mandalorian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Episode 1  
> Takes place a good full year after the previous chapter

"Well, if it's true that you're partners... you'll need to be initiated into the Guild." He stood up and she followed him. The Mandalorian stayed behind as if he had no clue what just happened.

The pair came out after about a half-hour, and the Togruta held up a bag, and with a shake, revealed its contents. Lots and lots of credits. "Come on, partner," she clapped his armored shoulder in an uncomfortably familiar way and headed towards the door.

The other hunter looked at her back as she made her way out. He let out a sigh, pushing himself to stand up and go after her. As he left the cantina to catch up to his 'partner' when he heard Karga shout from behind him, "Good choice, Mando!" which made him walk all the faster.

1 year later...

"Stars, why is every planet we go to either super hot, super cold, or downright shitty?" A togruta mumbled under her breath, wrapping her arms around her in an attempt to keep the warmth inside her cloak. Her companion, clearly Mandalorian from his armor, said nothing.

He took the lead on the iced path, her on his heels. In his hands was a tracker, the annoying beeping being the only sound she had heard for the past 48 hours. If it wasn't for the fact that it was leading them to a target which meant credits, or that her arms felt too frozen to move, that thing would've been smashed already. A small village was visible, little huts on the frozen water. Covered in tarps and surrounded by generators, she was ready to dive-bomb into one just to get out of the cold.

She wasn't built for this.

The Mandalorian said nothing as he made his way through the village, his much chattier partner right on his heels. From the obnoxious beeps of the tracker increasing, it seemed their target was in that bar up ahead. Great, warmth and booze. She took the lead into the building, ignoring the looks the two of them got when they entered. All she cared about was the wave of heat that crashed over her once the door closed behind them. Her hands rubbed at her arms to heat them up faster, walking over to the far corner of the bar and leaning against the counter.

Instantly she began to eye the room, looking for their target. He was easy to spot, being the only colorful thing around beside her. He was being picked on by some guys, and from his pitiful attempts at bribing, looked like he was about to get a beat down. Zelona made eye- er eye-to-helmet contact with her partner and nodded towards them. Her brow raised as she pushed herself up to stand straighter, only to lean back when he gave a small shake of the head.

The attendant came over to her, asking what drink she'd like to have before a deep voice cut him off. On the other side of the bar, was Mando, now being hounded by the same guys who were nagging their target. 

She wasn't sure what he was planning, but he seemed to have their attention for now. One of them nagging him about a spilled drink, while her partner remained uninterested in what this trawler had to say. Even when the bartender tried to translate for him, he remained unengaged, which clearly angered the trawlers. 

So that was his plan. A bit dumb and obvious, but it would do the job. Hell, they met because she did the exact same thing. The bartender nervously offered the gang new drinks, clearly terrified that they would harm him or his bar if he wasn't on their good side. As soon as the drink was filled and slid down the counter, Mando's hand shot out and grabbed it. Using the cup, he smashed it into one of the mans' face, knocking him to the ground. Using the momentary shock to his advantage he took out the beardy one antagonizing him by slamming his face against the counter.

She smirked, crossing her arms, wishing she had a drink to enjoy while watching the show. He was a bad influence on her.

While Mando was busy breaking the arm of a third dude, the fourth who was still with their target made a break for the door. Before he even got there, her hand swiped her blaster and shot him. His body fell to the ground and she casually holstered her gun, ignoring the looks she got. She delicately stepped over the body to the Mythrol who was overcome with gratitude for the save.

Whether or not he was unaware of why they were there was up in the air. He even offered the bribe he tried to the trawlers, to which she scooped them up, counted them, then placed them in her pocket. Extra cash never hurt. They didn't have to split that.

Her partner placed the puck on the table, the image of the target flickering to life.

Immediately she felt his dread. How it pooled in his stomach and soon spread to his entire body. The Mythrol tried deflecting them by playing dumb, but it was clear neither Mandalorian nor Togruta was having it. "Oh." He leaned forward to inspect it. "This a bounty puck? Is that me?" The guy pointed to himself, but he received no answer. Fear gave into desperation. "Look, there's obviously been some mistake. I can get you more credits if you-"

"I can bring you in warm, or I can bring you in cold." Her partner rumbled, reaching for his blaster, but made no move to actually pull it out of its resting place. The target swallowed, mouth opening and closing as he tried to think of an argument or bribe but it was clear none came to mind, or none were convincing enough in his head. 

She pulled out a pair of cuffs and gave him a shrug, "Sorry, just business."

She was several paces in front of them, often looking over her shoulder to make sure they were still coming and not frozen from the harsh winds. Calling behind her for the boys to hurry up, she made her way to the Kubaz Ferryman. Upon seeing her, a land speeder came up and halted in front of her. She gave a small 'thank you' and hopped in, waiting for the others.

When the Mythrol made his way to get in, Mando gripped his shoulder tightly. "No droids." He said, both to the ferryman and as a reminder to her about his one rule.

Zelona rolled her eyes. "Well, I'd like to get warm sooner than later, so if it's all the same, I think I'll stick with the droid." She hummed, crossing her legs, her silent way of showing she wasn't going to move. The Mythrol looked between the two, ending up inching towards the speeder and getting in with her, hands cuffed in front of him.

Her partner sighed, both in annoyance and defeat, climbing in, but she could feel his glare. Both on her and the droid.

Thankfully it was a smooth and swift ride to the ship, and she hopped out with an unnatural grace for someone who claimed to be freezing. She helped the Mythrol out, who seemed less than pleased at the sight of the ship. "You're kidding me, right?" She gave him a shrug, and with a grip on his arm, dragged him over to the ship, the Mandalorian right on their heels. "I'll hire us a Livery Cruiser. No big deal. It won't come out of your end. I'll pay for it."

The droid who drove the speeder beeped at her. Turning back to it, the droid explained to watch the ice and the creatures underneath. After a polite thanks, the speeder was off.

From her left, she heard a scoff and rolled her eyes. "You know, you'd have a much easier time if you weren't so anti-droid." She hummed, waiting for him to get the hatch to the ship open. He didn't respond but she could tell he was frowning and she huffed out a laugh. Before he could give her a rare verbal response, the Mythrol screamed bloody murder.

Her head snapped around and saw a giant hole in the ice, the same direction from which their speeder was leaving. The target was shouting for them to open the hatch, his voice getting higher and higher with each repeat of the sentence. A giant crack appeared in the ice, then as almost as if the crack were alive, it was racing towards them. With the door still not opened, she had to admit even she started to feel a small drop of dread in the back of her mind.

On instinct, her hand went to where she would have kept her sabers, but they were not there. She had opted to leave them on the ship. It was just a simple grab and go, so she did not feel the need to bring them. A blaster would be better than a glowing blade in this case. And now they were-

A hand grabbed her wrist and threw her aboard the ship, the huff of the Mythrol hitting the floor shortly followed. The hatch slammed shut, and she scrambled up to her feet, darting for the ladder. Scaling up it, she went to the cockpit and threw herself in the pilot seat, flipping on switches, activating the ship's engine. She heard the Mythrol's panic before the door even opened, the blue man throwing himself into one of the chairs behind her. "Dank farrik, that was close!" She didn't bother to even acknowledge him, opting to turn off the autopilot to get the hell out of her.

The one perk was the warmth in the ship, feeling finally returning to her arms. The ship rattled from the hold the beast had on it, but she just grits her teeth, grabbing the controls once everything was on and ready for take-off. She couldn't get them off more than 5 feet, the grip the ravinak had on the ship preventing them from doing so.

The sound of the cockpit's door opening and closing let her know that her partner took the liberty of dealing with it. She heard growls and shots but only allowed herself to divert her focus once the ship was free and shot up towards the atmosphere of the planet.

Hours into the flight there, and she had switched with Mando, sitting in the third seat of the cockpit, legs crossed and examining her blaster. He never liked someone else in the pilot's seat, even if he, or so he said, trusted her not to steal it. Force of habit, she guessed. It was understandable, she wouldn't let anyone else use her lightsabers, even if she trusted them. 

It was too quiet for her, and she was still cold, despite being a good distance from that ball of ice. "Right, I'm making some caf." Zelona stood up, holstering her blaster. "You want some?" She spoke to both men.

The Mythrol, who was clearly uncomfortable with the silence gave a nod. "Yeah, yeah that would be nice." She nodded, then looked to Mando. With no response she leaned on his chair, placing a hand on his shoulder. 

"Hey, you want any? It'll be a few hours till we get there, and you haven't slept for a while."

"I'm fine." As usual. A year into their partnership, something she would even call a friendship- and he still wouldn't let her do things for him, even if they were so simple.

Zelona sighed and took her hand away, leaving the cockpit. She'd get him one anyways

Alone now, the mythrol stared at the cockpit door before slowly looking back to the Mandalorian, then back to the door. "She was nice." 

Silence.

"Is she your, like, girlfriend or something? She didn't do much of the hunting- unless that's just how you work." The man babbled only to receive no response from the man who was piloting. At least the Togruta offered a polite if tense conversation. "I like your ship. She's a classic."

Still no answer. 

...

...

...

Where was that dang caf?

"How much are they paying you?" He tried again, this time a subject that might be more familiar to the hunter, but no dice. So he tried again, but a little different. "Is it true you guys never take off your helmets?" He was almost in awe if he were truthful. Mandalorians were rare nowadays after the Empire had purged the planet when they refused imperialism. A heavy price, and now they were almost as mythical as the Jedi.

Many who were alive now did not hear of them, and only a few from the days of old remember what it was like before the Empire and the Jedi who had guarded the Republic before their respective downfalls.

People from that age would have laughed if they said a Mandalorian Bounty Hunter had a Force-sensitive partner. Or rolling in their graves from the horror. Probably the latter, from the type of people she was told about.

As he wasn't receiving any answers, he blew out his exhale, examining the cockpit for a moment, tapping his fingers on his leg. There was a tense silence for a few minutes before he spoke again. "I think I have to use the vacc tube." With no response, no denial or confirmation, he went on. "I mean, I could do it here, but if you've never seen a Fledging Mythrol evacuate their thorax, you're a lucky guy. Trust me." He gave a tense chuckle, looking around.

Despite his hands being cuffed, he pushed himself to his feet, pointing to the door. "Clearly, there's nowhere for me to go. So, I'm gonna look for that vacc tube if it's all the same to you?" He shuffled out of the room, making his way to the latter. It was difficult with his hands cuffed but he managed to get down without any problems.

The door separating the cockpit from the rest of the ship open, and a feminine voice was behind him. "I brought you some-" The togruta paused and looked at the empty chair their target had been sitting in 10 minutes earlier. "He trying to escape?"

"Seems that way."

"You want to deal with it or should I?" The Mandalorian stood up, passing by her.

"I will. You suck at carbon freezing." He disappeared without another word before she could come up with a comeback, leaving her to grumble and pout while sipping her caf. She had 3 cups, two in her hands and one nestled between her thighs. The liquid warmed her up right away, but it left a bitter taste in her mouth. It was disgusting on its own, but they had run out of sweeteners so it was just how it was or nothing. And she refused to go without.

A scream from below made her pause from her sip, before continuing after a moment. A minute later her partner was back in his seat, turning off the auto-pilot. "You deal with him?" A hum was her only response. With a roll of her eyes, she set one of the cups down and held another in front of him. "Drink it. I can tell you're tired." His shoulders slumped and he accepted the drink but stopped when she spoke again. "Next time we stop by a marketplace, we need to grab some sweeteners. We're out." And she loved herself some sweet-tasting caf. So did he, it turned out when she had mixed up their cups once.

After that, the woman left the cockpit, allowing her partner to lift his helmet enough to drink the liquid, expecting a bitter taste.

It was sweet.

She wasn't even aware she had dozed off until she felt his gloved hand shaking her shoulder. Her head snapped up, her forehead meeting the metal of his helmet. Zelona let out a cry of shock, a hand coming up and rubbing at her forehead. Luckily she hit low enough so it didn't damage her goggles.

"Ow..." The togruta grumbled, pushing herself up when the Mandalorian beckoned her to follow him. She slid down the ladder after him, seeing the newest collection to his carbon collection. She brushed her hand over it, examining the expression. "You really scared the crap out of him, didn't you?" A chuckle escaped her. He didn't respond, instead of opening the hatch of the ship, and began to move the statues out of the ship. Wordlessly, she did the same.

"You sure it's a good idea to leave the ship alone? Remember what happened last time?"

Her companion didn't respond, his trademark reply to anything. Instead, he started walking towards the town where Greef was, as well as their bounty rewards. It had been a while since she was here, a few weeks at the least, and when most of her time was spent planet-hopping anything more than a week was considered long.

The bar was the same as when she left it, save for it missing a few faces and some new ones were present. The chatter stopped when they saw the two, in particular the Mandalorian. He was one of the best and was known for working alone. So the fact that he had a partner now, and for a year straight, had people talking. She's heard the rumors. Some said they were lovers, others said they were hunting down the Empire together- the others got too crazy for her to even bother remembering the details of.

"Mando!" Greef's voice called from the other side of the bar. There was a big smile on his face as he beckoned them over. The man never played favorites, but he had told her that he found the pair amusing. "And Darr, good to see you're in one piece." He always poked at her for her lack of armor, telling her one day she was gonna lose a limb one day. They even had a bet set up that she'd lose her arm after 1 year. Needless to say, she won that. She gave the older man a nod in return, while Mando dug out the trackers, placing them on the table. Unlike when they got them, they were silent now, ensuring the capture of the target.

Greef looked over the objects, taking them into his hand, twisting it, and upon finding no damage, he nodded. "I'll begin the offload." After ordering some of his guys to get the bounties, the older man slid 4 types of credits- Imperial credits- towards Mando, who was not pleased.

"These are imperial credits," if he wasn't wearing the helmet, she was sure she'd see some narrow eyes and a frown. The idea alone was enough to make her huff out a quiet laugh, avoiding the Mandalorian's gaze when his helmet tilted her way.

"They still spend." Karga defended himself.

She says her companion's arms tighten in frustration. "I don't know if you heard, but the Empire is gone."

"Officially, anyways. Even if the credits do spend, they ain't gonna be worth shit soon." She hummed her own opinion, twisting one of the credits in her hand and placing it back down.

"It's all I got," Mando responded to this by snatching the trackers pulling them back, Karga scrambling to stop him. "Fine-Save the theatrics. I'll- I can do Calamari Flan.." He pulled out some weird jelly-looking currency. "But, I can only pay half." He sighed.

"Fine." Mando took the payment and pocketed them, but she could tell from his voice he was frustrated. "What others do you have?"

Karga pulled out some pucks and listed who they were for, but when Mando decided he wanted them all, he denied the hunter. "Now, hold on just a minute. There are other members of the Guild, and this is all I have." 

She felt Mando's frustration flare up inside him and in his voice. "Why so slow?" He demanded to know.

"It's not slow at all, actually. Very busy. They just don't want to pay Guild rates. They don't mind if things get sloppy. Sometimes they just take care of the bounties themselves." Karga informed them.

"Plus, the high bounties of the Imperial Era were Rebels. Now with the Rebels in charge..." She hummed. Karga met her eyes for a moment before he nodded in agreement. 

"Exactly. And with the New Republic trying to clean up themselves, we have to take what we can get."

"What's your highest right now?"

"5,000," Greef answered with a somber tone. To some, it might sound like a lot but for them-

"That won't even cover fuel these days." Mando sighed. She wanted to give him some comfort, but the closest thing they had to physical contact was a hand on a shoulder. And they were surrounded by bounty hunters who would do whatever to one-up the competition. When they were alone or out on a job, he'd let her use him as a pillow sometimes, which she often found amusing. He was anything but soft, covering all that armor.

Karga knew this too, the man giving in, to what she was unsure of, but she sensed unease coming from him. "There is... one job-"

"Let's see the puck." Her partner was already eager to jump onto the next job, especially if it paid well.

"No puck. Face to face. Direct commission, deep pocket." Karga had leaned in slightly and was speaking with a lower tone of voice. She narrowed her eyes at him, crossing her arms.

"Underworld?" Aaaannnd he was just going for it. Sure, why not. 

"All I know is no chain code." The man slid across a flat object to them, which Mando promptly picked up. The pair promptly exited the bar, the Togruta turning to see every eye in the bar trained on them. A frown pulled at her lips, and then the door closed.

"Starting to think I should've stayed on the ship." She whispered to him as they walked through the narrowing streets further in town. 

"Not into crowds?" With the helmet, it was always hard to tell if he was joking, mocking, or serious sometimes. Even after a year, she could never figure out how to tell what his tone was.

The Togruta shook her head. "Considering how I grew up, someone wanting a face-to-face meeting with little to no information prior doesn't exactly scream 'safe'." She chuckled. The two had shared few things about their respective pasts. He knew of her abilities, and after a month of thinking her to be insane, adjusted to see it as 'normal for her' as he said. In turn, she knew he was a Foundling, someone adopted into the Mandalorians. It was not a lot, but enough to show they trusted the other.

She had asked him what his name was, but he didn't tell her. It felt weird, not knowing his name when he knew hers, but she respected the boundaries he put up. And as it goes, he respected hers. 

"Yeah." She looked at him with a raised brow, but he made no clarification as to what he meant, but she knew. It was a risk, but that was what their lives were surrounded by. Whether it was bounty hunting or not, there was always a risk. That was life. They came up to a door painted green and knocked. For a few moments nothing happened, but then a panel next to the door retracted, and a small droid's head emerged.

It was a scanner. He held up some cards, which the droid scanned, then beeped out a confirmation, allowing the door to open. They entered the narrow hallway, too small for them to walk side by side, so she entered first.

She got to the end of the hall, where the door opened, revealing several dusty storm troopers. When the door opened, they all turned to face her, blasters at the ready. When they saw the Mandalorian behind her, they lowered their weapons. Mando pushed past her, taking the lead, as he usually did. Feeling her heart pounding in her chest, she had followed him close behind.

In the middle of the room sat an old man at a single table. This was their client. Glancing the Mandalorian up and down, the man gave a toothy grin that sent a shiver down her spine. "Greef Karga said you were coming," as he spoke she noticed more troopers in the room, their armor cracked and dirty. The pit in her stomach got deeper as she looked at them with a glare that could kill.

"What else did he say?"

The client's eyes flashed to her, rooting her to the spot. Mando's helmet tilted her direction. Her mind flashed back to her younger years; running from stormtroopers, inquisitors, and all the like. How her mother explained that she could be killed or taken because of her abilities. Now that the Empire was officially gone, she was not on a most-wanted list, finally believing she could walk through town without the worry of someone thinking her a force user.

"I see you have brought a friend. I must admit, when Karga told me a Mandalorian was coming, I expected only the one, " She felt and more importantly saw Mando tense up. The old man was referencing the Great Purge, as Mando called it when the Empire had destroyed Mandalore after their offer of alliance was rejected. "They say your the best in the parsec."

His voice was drowned out in her head because she heard fastly approaching footsteps, hand reaching for her blaster. Neither of them could hear it, but her biology allowed her to have better hearing than humans. Though given her being a hybrid, it was not as good as a full Togruta.

The door slid open, startling everyone in the room as a doctor-looking man, or scientist, if his attire was anything to go by, came into the room, radiating excitement. The excitement was not to last though, with Mando pulling out his blaster at the man, to which the stormtroopers did the same, and she followed. Shouts from the troopers to lower their weapons echoed in the small room, and it seemed there was about to be a shoot-out. 

"No, no, no. Pardon! Sorry! I didn't mean to alarm." The man held his hands up in defense, half bent over into a ball. She lowered her blaster but did not holster it. She sensed no deception from them, but that did little to ease her. Mando still held up his, aimed at two different soldiers.

"This is Doctor Pershing. Please excuse his lack of decorum. His enthusiasm outweighs his discretion." The client tried to calm the situation, but it seemed neither were willing to lower their weapons first. "Please lower your blaster," he tried, though Mando stuck out.

"Have them lower theirs first," he shot back, hands tightening their grips, ready to start blasting as soon as he caught a whiff of danger.

The troopers were not impressed. "We got you 4 to 2." One of them threatened the Mandalorian, but that only seemed to strengthen his resolve to fight them.

"I like those odds." Of course, he did.

The Client pushed his way to stand right in front of Mando, keeping a composed posture and voice. "They said you were expensive. Very expensive. Please, sit." As he spoke he gestured for the stormtroopers to lower their guns, which they did, although it was clear they were hesitant too. Once all blasters were down, Mando holstered his and slid into the chair on the other side of the desk. She stayed standing, seeing as there was only one chair, and the man old man was clearly only interested in talking to her partner.

Once they were settled, the man pulled out a red cloth, and unfolded it, revealing a slab of metal. Beskar. "Go ahead, it's real." The Mandalorian twisted the metal, brushing over it with shaky fingers, as though the metal were the most precious and delicate thing in the world. Precious, yes. Delicate, absolutely not.

"This is only a down payment. I have a camtono of Beskar waiting for you upon delivery of the asset." The client told him, a small grin on his lips from the obvious awe from the hunter.

"Alive." The doctor added awkwardly. She looked back at him and he was right behind the client, like a parent peering over a child's shoulder.

"Ah, yes, alive. However, I acknowledge that bounty hunting is a complicated profession." The client leaned closer and the pit in her stomach increased ten-fold. Creepy old man. "This being the case, proof of termination is also acceptable for a lower fee."

The doctor snapped his head to the client. "That is not what we agreed upon-"

"I'm simply being pragmatic," the elder man defended himself, but it did little to ease the furrow between the doctor's brow. Glad to see she wasn't the only one not buying this man's crap.

"Let's see the puck." 

The doctor and client exchanged a look, and the doctor dug through his coat until he pulled out a tracking hob. "I'm afraid discretion dictates a less traditional agreement. We can only offer you a tracking fob." They were handed the hob, and she stared at it like it was about to blow up in their faces. The hell kinda job required this much discretion? One illegal under the New Republic? Probably, if she were being honest. They had storm troopers, meaning they were Imperial, or damn good at persuading people. She didn't like either option.

"What's the chain code?"

"We can only provide the last 4 digits."

Mando tilted his helmet, frowning under his helmet. "Their age, that's all you can give me?" 

"Yes. They're fifty years old. We can also give you our last reported positional data. Between that and the fob, a man of your skill should make short work of this." He was ensured, but there was a lingering doubt in her mind. This man was creepy as shit. Giving him a hard stare, she followed her partner out.

"So, what are you gonna do with it?" She held the bar of beskar in her hands, rubbing her thumb over it. Even as a metal, it was intimidating, much like its original craftsmen. 

"The Armorer will decide," he told her, taking a new path, instead of the usual route back to the ship.

Though she followed him, she was downright confused. "The who?" He did not respond to her, just leading them down the path to whomever this 'Armorer' was. There were weaving and turning, to the point, she was certain they had gone in a complete circle or had completely lost themselves. She was going to scold him, as was part of their dynamic, but he slipped past a cloth door. Apparently, this was it.

She followed after him, nearly tripping over her own feet when it immediately descended into stairs towards what looks like tunnels. Mando was already at the bottom, waiting for her. Duh, she had the beskar in her hands. It wasn't a long staircase, but the lack of light did nothing to lighten the mood; it felt like she was being watched.

The two of them walked down the tunnel they had entered, and if she were honest, this was the most relaxed she had ever seen her companion. The halls were filled with silence; and yet she sensed many energies near. Was this a Guild thing? Probably not, or Mando would not have been as relaxed as he was. The room at the end of the hallway had an open doorway, revealing the room inside to any passerbys. 

It was a crafting room, tools and furnaces were of ample supply; and in the middle stood a lone figure, using their hammer to shape the object of focus, presumably armor or weapons. Noticing their presence, the Armorer set the piece of armor into the fire to burn. The Mandalorian sat down on his knees on one side while the Armorer had sat on the other. He turned to Zelona and held his hand out, letting her give him the slab of beskar, which was laid on the bench, along with the credits they had been paid from their earlier jobs.

"You have brought a stranger." The Armorer hummed, her helmet tilted as she assessed the outsider. Zelona felt her lekku dark in embarrassment and pointed to the door.

"Oh, I can leave-" The Armorer held up her hand, silencing her.

"Do you trust this outsider with our secret?" The woman continued like the Togruta had not spoken, now looking back to her fellow Mandalorian. Her partner was silent for a moment.

"I do."

The female Mandalorian hummed in thought. It was hard to tell what the woman was thinking, her mind was heavily guarded, a trait not often seen nowadays; but it was clear she was thinking. "You have found your Gaanla." The word was foreign to her. She had learned some basic Mando'a from her father, but more often than not code words for if they were in danger or names of endearment. 

Before her companion could answer, the woman took the beskar in her hands, cradling it almost, as though it were a child. "This was gathered in the Great Purge. It is good it is back with the Tribe." That confirmed her suspicions. Her companion gave a small verbal agreement. "A pauldron would be in order. Has your signet been revealed?" The woman stood with the beskar in hand towards the furnace, ready to create a new piece. 

"Not yet." For a moment, she thought he sounded ashamed for that, but then, she also was not aware of what a signet would be, nor what it meant to Mandalorians. It must have meant something if they would put it on their armor.

"Soon." The Armorer promised, beginning her work on the metal. Placing it inside of the circle of blue fire, the woman turned to her compartment of tools for her trade. As she collected the tools, the metal was slowly melting in the rim. "This is extremely generous. The excess will sponsor many Foundlings." The Armorer informed Mando, tools in hand as she examined the melting beskar. 

"That's good," he paused before continuing. "I was once a Foundling."

"I know." The Armorer pressed a button, the top of the pit pressing down on the metal to be mended as she wanted. Tongs were used to take it out, the metal still hot from the furnace, before slamming her hammer down on the soon-to-be pauldron. From the corner of her eye, she saw Mando's shoulder subconsciously tighten with each slam that echoed through the room. By the 3rd, she came up behind him, and did what she always did when she felt he needed comfort: she put her hand on the space between his pauldron and shoulder, her thumb lightly rubbing back and force. At first, he jerked when he felt her touch but slowly relax by the time the Armorer was done.

She pulled her hand back, allowing for the new piece to be placed on Mando's shoulder. It fit like a glove.

Great, a desert planet. Again. Zelona pushed herself off where she was leaning against the wall, to kneel down beside her bag. If this job was as big as they said...

She had enough to buy a ship. She had for a few months but wanted to get extra to make sure it was a good ship, one that could do things the Razor Crest couldn't. And yet, her heart tightened at the idea of leaving. She had grown to care for the Mandalorian, even with all his silent bullshit. He was a good fighter, determined. He made her feel like she was good at something like she could do something. 

It was not the way. Neither his nor hers. While she did not follow the Jedi Code as it was written, allowing herself to form relationships- in a world where force sensitives were hunted down, it was not a good idea to get involved in such relations. Even if she wanted to. And she did. But more than that, she enjoyed simply being with him, even if they were stuck in the worst situation, it made her feel better than she was with him. That there was the chance to see tomorrow.

It was the small things. Giving her blankets when she got cold, remembering how she liked her caf- even helping her find spare parts for her lightsaber. He didn't have to do those things. But he did. A part of her was selfish, thinking that all this was just for her- but in practicality, it wasn't.

A Gaanla, the Armorer had called her. She was unfamiliar with that word, but the use of 'your' before it made it likely a term to call a relationship. Perhaps it meant friend or partner. She knew the terms of endearments, learning them from her father when she accidentally walked in on her parents. She couldn't move for days, eyes squeezed shut and refusing to hear them speak, lest it reminds her of the horrors she saw.

Pushing the thoughts away, she put some of her things in the bag. Just her spare parts, in case she saw something that could be helpful. She was kind of a scavenger. Got to the point where her Mandalorian ally had jokingly called her a Jawa. The crystal was around her neck, tucked into her shirt. Since it was a desert planet, she would be leaving the cloak behind.

Part of her told her to just leave the bag if she was only taking spare parts and some bacta, because Stars forbid her partner never brought any and always got himself banged up-but she decided against it. A job paying for this much had to be of some difficulty. Though- a feeling of paranoia settled over her. What if this was just a setup by other hunters to get rid of their competition. It was a silly thought, yes, but those types of thoughts were the reason she was alive.

"You coming?" The voice behind made her yelp and jump to her feet, clutching the bag like she had been caught stealing. The helmet tilted in response to her reaction, hands held up in semi-defense. "Relax, it's a simple grab and goes."

The sight that greeted her when they left the ship was the sight of mountains, which she had to admit was quite beautiful. He was right next to her, taking in their surroundings, though for more than sight-seeing. "Yeah," she said as they walked down the ramp, "A grab and go that's paying a stupid ton for this 'asset'. That either means this target is stupidly well-armed, or they're the last of a species. Maybe both." She rambled to him, trying to gather her thoughts to find the source of why the whole thing made her uncomfortable.

Ah, yes. Now she remembered. The guys were creepy as shit.

"We're not paid for our morals." He reminded her, holding up the tracker before turning in a circle to determine the direction they needed to head. Once he found it, the two began to make their way across the wastes.

She didn't respond, just pressed her lips together in a tight line.

They walked for what seemed like hours, and it probably was, given by the time they stopped for a rest it was getting dark. They didn't make a fire, it was hot enough despite the growing darkness. It was silent between them, save for the sound of the Togruta fidgeting with her parts. She had all she needed, she just needed the protective covering so that her hands didn't get cut up from the parts or burned by the crystal. It was that or thick gloves.

"Hey, Mando."

"Hmm?" He didn't turn to look at her, but she knew he was listening from his posture.

"I think..." Zelona trailed off for a moment, looking at the cracked ground with intense interest. "I think I'm glad we took this job."

That got his head-turning, as he sat himself up from his reclined position. "That was quick."

It made a chuckle escape her, despite the feeling in her chest. "I was just thinking- if this is our last gig- I want it to be a memorable one." Something in the mood shifted once she had finished speaking. She wouldn't look at him, and there were tense postures between the two. One of confusion, and the other of disappointment.

"You think we're gonna die?" Her head snapped up to look at him, frantically shaking her head.

"What? No- I, no. I don't think we're going to die. It's just-" She swallowed and looked at the ground, then forced a smile onto her face. "I have enough."

"Enough..."

"Enough credits. To get me a ship." She reminded him of the deal struck up between them, or more so the deal she had forced on him, and he didn't care enough to throw her ass off the ship. "Took a while, but-"

A growl cut them off, both sentients rising to their feet, hands on their weapons. It darted out at them, slamming into her with his tail, and its mouth grabbing and biting down onto Mando's arm. She groans when she hit the rocky ground but pushed herself up, running up to them to get it off of him. Her hand nabbed her saber, but a part of her hesitated. She was never really comfortable with killing an animal, who was just doing what they thought they had to do to survive- as her mother said "the force surrounds all living beings". The thought made her clip her saber back to her belt.

Turning to see what she could do to aid her friend, she saw there wasn't much need. He was punching it in the eyeball, though it wasn't too phased until the fifth punch, letting go of his arm. He scrambled away from it, heading for his blaster rifle that was a few feet away. Sadly the creature recovered quickly and snapped at his already injured arm.

It was pure instinct that got her to dive for the rifle. At first, she thought they had startled the animal, but now that it was trying to truly harm them- she grabbed the rifle in hand and aimed, only for a dart to implant itself into the beast's hide. The animal groaned, then fell down, right onto her friend, pinning him to the ground.

Tossing the gun aside, she knelt by his side, getting a good look at how he was pinned. Though, when she looked around its teeth, she saw one of the fangs was dug into the Mandalorian's skin, the area becoming bloodied. She felt movement behind her.

Mando saw it before her, but he didn't get out a word. Her hand shot out and the creature stopped just in front of her, large teeth snapping at her. Its little legs were a few inches off the ground, floating. She wasn't quite sure what to do with the creature. Was she to kill it, calm it? Thankfully another dart answered her question, knocking the animal unconscious. Once it had stopped struggling, she let it drop to the ground, swiftly returning to The Mandalorian, who managed to shuffle his leg out from the dead weight on him.

Placing one hand on his shoulder, and the other on the side of the creature's mouth, she gave him a quick apology before she pushed. He grunted in pain as she moved the tooth out of his arm, exposing the wound to the dry air, making it sting. With the tooth out, he used his good arm to help her push the animal off of him completely, taking her hand to be lifted to his feet. 

A breeze went by, and she saw his hand reach for his wound- he stopped when he saw she had grabbed his hand, pulling it away from the wound. "Don't touch it, you've got dirt and sand on you're gloves. It'll only make it worse. Look I can just-" She stopped when his helmet tilted to look at something behind her.

It was an Ugnaught riding one of those same creatures, but this one was calm, though it eyed the glowing weapon cautiously. The strange man looked them over, giving her companion a long hard look.

"You are bounty hunters." She raised a brow, deactivating her saber, but she kept a tight grip on it.

Mando looked between the two, then to the beast, the Ugnaught rode. "Yes."

His answer seemed to confirm something in the stranger, who nodded. "I will help you." The two exchanged a glance, and she saw the stranger look at her weapon, and there was a shift in his eyes. "I have spoken."

The stranger had kindly opened his home to them, allowing for them to rest while he made something to drink. Using the opportunity of peace, which would likely end shortly, she sat Mando down, then placed herself next to him. She was probably too close for him to be comfortable, but she wanted to take care of his bite before it could get infected from all the sand and dirt around them. 

He tried telling her she was fine, but she gave him a dead stare, telling him to shut up. It was not often that she snapped at him, or got visibly angry, so those rare moments were the few times where he listened to her without a word.

She had to use a spare knife to cut a bit of fabric away, much to the Mandalorian's complaint, to be able to see the area better. It wasn't deep, but the bacta she had would not go into effect for another hour or so. And that was time they could not spare.

Healing was not something she did often. It was not really a skill of hers. It took decades to master, and the most she could do was heal small wounds like scratches or in this case, a bite. It wasn't too deep so it wouldn't take that much out of her, though she knew she'd probably be a little dizzy afterward. She was staring intently at his wound before she closed her eyes and held out her hand, just above the wound.

His helmet was turned to watch her work. This was certainly a perk of her powers, but it seriously freaked him out. Scratches and bites, healed just like that, with no sign they had even been there in the first place. And that's what his shoulder looked like when she was done. Her breathing was a little heavier and he could tell from the way her nose scrunched up she had a headache. She often did whenever she healed him- which thankfully was not common.

He felt his skin subconscious twitch as her fingertips grazed the skin, checking to make sure she had gotten it all, and cleaning away the drying blood. It seemed almost second nature to her, how quickly she jumped to his aid if he needed it.

Then her touch was gone.

Satisfied with her work she pushed herself away from him; shifting so she was back facing their host, who had returned with tea. "I have seen many of your kind pass through here. I'm guessing you seek the same prey?" He offered her a cup of tea and she accepted gratefully. Healing, although minor, took a lot out of the user. Essentially you give a part of your life force to them, and it was risky for more fatal wounds.

"Did you help them?" The man nodded.

"Yes, though you are unique. You are a pair. Most that I helped went alone. They died." He was quite bold in his statement, one that made her raise a brow and a weirded-out smile. 

"I'm not certain we want your help if that's the case." She hummed, but the man shook his head, gesturing for her to sit and take one of the cups of tea. She did and sipped at it.

It tasted horrible. But she finished the small cup quickly, setting it back down and returning her attention to the Ugnaught. "You do," he assured the pair. "I can show you the way to the encampment."

Sounded too helpful without anything in return, and her partner voiced this. What did he want in return? Half, he said, and when she made a dry comment on that being pretty steep, he clarified he wanted half of the creatures, blurrgs he called them, in exchange for helping them. "You can have them both," Mando spoke, eager to get back to the job.

"No, you will need one. To ride. The way is impossible to pass without a blurrg mount." He informed them, nodding in the direction that she could only assume was the way to the asset. 

Her friend stood, shaking his head. "I don't know how to ride Blurrg." He protested, but the old Ugnaught was not phased.

"I have spoken."

She wasn't too sure how they ended up staying the night, but the next thing she knew it was morning, the sun bright in the sky as the heat blazed on them. And to make matters worse, or in her opinion more amusing, was seeing Mando trying to ride one of the Blurrgs.

"You don't want me to try?" She had spoken to the name, who told her his name was Kuiil. 

The Ugnaught shook his head with a laugh. "Nono, you could calm the beast with a wave of your hand. He's the one who has to learn." She blinked at him surprised, but then after thinking it over, she did heal her friend in front of him. Speaking of, the Mandalorian was thrown off the mount, hitting the ground with a loud thump. She winced, knowing the armor wasn't probably helping.

Apparently, Kuiil thought the same, however, he must have been unaware of how Mandalorians were, or he was joking when he told him "Perhaps if you took off the helmet."

"Perhaps he remembers I tried to roast him." A laugh escaped her, ignoring the glare she felt coming from The Mandalorian. Nothing would stop that man from keeping his helmet on. Perhaps it was glued to his head, like an implant. And if he took it out, it would kill him, or something. 

While she made up some crazy theories in her head, the other half of the hunters, having been thrown off for what felt like the 20th time from the ache in his back, had had enough. "We don't have time for this. Do you have a land speeder or speeder bike that I could hire?" He pushed, but no cigar. 

"You are Mandalorian! Your ancestors rode the great Mythosaur." Kuiil tried to empower the man, but all that she felt from him was frustration. It was understandable, they had wasted many hours when they could have been hunting the asset.

Instead of siding with her partner, like she usually would, she offered rare genuine advice. "Mando," the two men looked at her, "you're too direct with it. Go with a more gentle approach- then it won't think of you as a threat." She hummed, leaning against the railing of the small pen. 

Her partner's helmet tilted down, in thought. Then he turned on his heel, and to her surprise, he seemed to heed her advice. He approached the blurrg much more cautiously, even running his hand over the dip of its head. The creatures huffing slowed, and when he climbed on the mount, it did not toss him. It did not even make a move that would have suggested it.

He looked over to her, and she gave him a smile and small applause.

Now, it was back to work.

The terrain there was a land of sandy rocks. Flattened, decorated with cracks spreading up to 5 feet that led to small collections of rivers below the surface. It had been awkward at first, as there were only 2 blurrgs, the one who had attacked them had a major burn on it's side courtesy of her partner, and 3 of them. In the end, she rode with Kuiil, seeing as he was smaller so it wouldn't be as cramped.

It was awkward to hold onto the shoulders of an old man who you had just met, mind you. However, sensing her unease, the Ugnaught decided to familiarize themselves with one another, seeing as they'd be riding buddies for the next hour. "You are a Jedi?"

"Sort of. Not really? It's hard to tell." She answered truthfully, blissfully unaware of the attention the conversation had garnered. Even if she was aware, it was hard to tell, his helmet facing away and body language was a no-go. "My mother- she was a Jedi- and she trained me in their ways. But I don't follow the code; too strict."

"Mmm... yes. I remember tales of Jedi. Morally just peace-keepers, who separated themselves from all emotion and attachment in their goal to end conflict."

"Got it in one." She chuckled. For a moment her mind flashed back to her mother- how she had broken the code- but shook it away quickly. That was then, and she needed to focus on the now. "I mean, could you imagine? You go through your entire life- alone. No friends, family, especially not romances." Her stomach twisted inside her and she scowled. "Sorry, I get carried away sometimes."

"No harm was caused." Kuiil nodded to her over his shoulder, giving her a smile. It was then and there she decided she liked this guy. 

Eventually, their ride together came to an end when they reached a perch overlooking the encampment. Somewhere in there was their target. All they had to do was find them and turn them. Then they- her stomach dropped when she was reminded that this would be their last job as partners. After this... they'd be rivals. Which wasn't bad, you weren't allowed to attack other members of the guild unless they turned traitor, but she'd have to get used to it- walking a new ship, sleeping in a new bed, and overall remembering that she was alone.

Again.

The small sting she felt behind her eyes snapped her out of her thoughts, leading her to dismount the blurrg, then resting her hand on its head in an affectionate manner. Mando was thanking Kuiil, even offering him payment for his aid, but the Ugnaught declined it. He just wanted peace for his home- and they were the ones who could bring that, by taking the asset and clearing the valley of hunters in search for fortune. Then came the question: Why them? What made them so special that he believed so strongly in them?

"I have never met a Mandalorian. Nor a force-wielder." The Ugnaught gave her a pointed look, then returned his attention to the other hunter. "I have heard the stories and I have heard of the injustices brought upon both of your peoples. If what you say is true, there will be peace." He bid the two farewell, leaving to return to his home, and wait for peace.

Just like that, they were back to work.

They were just above the encampment when she stilled her partner with a brush of her hand against the material covering his arm. While she did not have better vision- she sensed movement from the target's location. It was wracking up a commotion too- had someone beat them there?

She sneaked her way over to get a better look, leaving her armored friend behind- as she often did when she snuck off. He hated it. Peering over from her hiding spot, she could see several sentiments surrounding the central building of the encampment; so that was where the guy was. If they got past the guards, they could get in, grab the asset and maybe take a few guns and blow this place to hell.

That was a plan- reality seemed to force them to make more hands-on approaches to missions. Typical.

The next thing she knew, the droid was talking, and she almost laughed. "Subparagraph 16 of the Bondsman Guild protocol waiver compels you to immediately produce said asset." Did the droid honestly think these guys would hand over the asset, much less the protocol of the Bounty Hunter's Guild? She had to cover her mouth, shoulders shaking from holding back a laugh.

Droids, have to love them. Unless of course, you were a certain Mandalorian who- oh, he was behind her. A quick glance over her shoulder proved the sound of footsteps she heard correct. The armored man came up behind her to watch just as she did. "You need to stop sneaking." He spoke from beside her, which only made her tilt her head with a smirk.

"Where's the fun with that?" At his sigh, her smirk turned to a smile, which fell slightly. She'd miss the, well if you could call it banter between them. She liked to think she made him more open- or at least more tolerant of jokes and surprises. He didn't like either; maybe that's why she did. Hear shouts below, the two of them watched as the men pulled their blasters, only to immediately be shot down by the IG unit. 

Even when reinforcements arrived, they didn't last long against the droid. It was a good show- blaster bolts bouncing off the droid, and the way the mechanics of the waist allowed him to turn in a full circle without the use of his legs- then the sigh came. A few minutes, that was a new record. "Droids." She always poked fun at him for his hatred towards the machines, but the longer she was with him- the more she felt there was more to it than that.

What little of the gunman who survived the killer robot ducked behind cover- allowing the pair an opportunity to sneak down into the encampment behind some pillars in front of a doorway. Stupidly, but also better him than her since he had armor, he came out of hiding only for the IG to shoot him in the chest, knocking him onto his back. She flinched at the noise of the metal hitting the rough ground, whispering 'ow' to herself, opting to remain in her hiding place.

Grunting, the Mandalorian pulled out a card and held it up- "We're in the guild!" He sounded super annoyed, and this probably only fanned the flames of his burning hatred for droids. At first, the unit proved hostile, claiming the bounty as its own. But Mando counteracted with a team-up and splitting the reward. Kinda like how they met. Except for the target then had already been caught- and she wasn't shot. When the droid agreed to the proposition, she peaked her head out, only to jerk it back when the droid shot at her too.

After the Mandalorian loudly explained she was with him, the droid retracted his analysis of her being hostile. Before they could get down to the details, shots were fired up from the roof. The two sentiments ducked behind the pillars, while the droid slowly followed them, settling next to her, guns at the ready. Her partner took out the tracker, trying to determine which way the group needed to go. While he was doing that, she was scolding herself: she had not brought her blaster with them. She didn't think she'd need it- most jobs there were enough for both of them to handle, but now it seemed like they were spawning out of nowhere.

With a sigh, she grabbed her saber, igniting the green blade, shuffling her way over to the door where the asset was- blocking fire that came towards her. As she got closer, even ducking behind crates, throwing one guy from the roof when he tried to snipe her- more firepower was aimed at her, pinning her behind some crates. It seemed with every one they killed, two more would show up to attack.

The others gave her an opening, shooting down the guys who had her pinned, allowing her to make a dash for the pillars in from of the door. She felt a blaster graze her arm, but she kept running, throwing herself behind cover, lightsaber still in hand. 

Before she did anything else, she grabbed her goggles and slid them over her eyes, giving her some form of eye protection in this fight that was kicking up storms of dust and sand. Sliding her head just barely past cover, she got sight of the last sniper on the roof. She took a risk, getting out from behind cover to throw her lightsaber, the weapon flying in a spinning motion through the air. She had aimed for the head, but it got him in the gut, slicing him through the middle. 

The lightsaber, with a little help from her powers, returned to her open palm, allowing her to return to cover as the others join her. She heard the IG unit make a comment, something about self-destructing, and her partner yelling at him to stop. Instead of joining the argument, she went to the door controls and tried getting it to open. The others behind her were firing, but the endless waves of gunmen kept coming. 

It all came to a head when they brought out the cannon. She could see it, from the other side of the small plaza, she could see the canon being prepped and ready to aim. The sight of it distracted her from the controls- until a wave of fire was shot at them, trying to take them out, which it did, and one got her right in the hand. Immediately she yelped and pulled her hand to her chest, cradling it as she ducked behind cover. The Mandalorian called if she was okay over the fire, to which she replied yes, even though her hand stung like a son of a bitch.

"Ugh, they got the controls, looks like I'm gonna have to cut through. Keep them off be- and get rid of the canon." She ordered them, reactivating her blade, and ducking to Mando's side of cover, stabbed her lightsaber through the door. Once she was certain she had cut all the way through, she began to drag the saber slowly through the metal. More yells of self-destruct and protests would have been very amusing if she wasn't also under the blaster fire.

She was finished with half of the hole she was making when it happened. When her back was turned, somehow the droid and the droid-hating Mandalorian managed to get hold of the canon and blasted the lives out of the rest of the gunners. Even the small reinforcements that arrived lasted as long as you'd expect. The two were talking behind them, and frankly, she didn't bother to listen, focusing on finishing with the hole. With a decent size carved out, one they could all get through, she delivered a hard kick to the cut area, sliding the metal out of place and onto the floor of the inside.

Zelona went in first, followed by IG and then Mando. Now, all they had to do we get the asset and go back to Nevarro. Assuming there wouldn't be any more firefights. IG confirmed that there was still a lifeform inside, and using the tracking hob, it led them to a floating metal ball. They opened it and-

"Holy shit." 

It was a kid. Or, a baby would be more accurate. And to say it was cute was the understatement of the era. With big brown eyes and ears too big for his head, it was honestly the cutest thing she ever saw. This was the asset. She stepped forward and lightly brushed a finger over the infant's head, who cooed and reached for her hand. She let him take it, squeezing her finger between his three little fingers, while the Mandalorian voiced his confusion. "They said 50 years old."

"Some species age differently," she answered him, her eyes still on the baby that clung to her finger and looked up her with big eyes, his ears perked up. Dammit- it was too cute. "He could live for centuries, maybe even a thousand years-" she was cut off when she heard the click of a blaster, snapping her head around to see IG begin raising his blaster, only for Mando to prevent him. Likewise, she shifted her body to stand in front of the infant, blocking it from view.

"No," her partner denied the droid, "we'll bring it in alive." Despite insisting, the droid persisted with his objective: kill the child. 

The droid was not phased when she stood in the way, but monotonely asked for her to step aside. She denied him, and he tried again, but to no avail. Seeing this as violation, the droid raised it's blaster at her-

A shot fired.

And the sound of metal hitting the floor echoed around them. Feeling no pain in her chest, she opened her eyes- not realizing she had closed them in the first place- to see the droid on the ground, a hole through it's processor. Her eyes looked to Mando, who held his blaster in hand, the tip smoking. A wave of relief crashed over her and she let out a sound that was a mix of laughter and gasping. His helmet was tilted towards her and the small infant behind her. Seeing as there was no immediate threat, Zelona turned back to face the child, who was peaking at the dead droid, head tilted in curiousity.

This was the asset. A child. A freaking child.

Shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lemme know what you think! Constructive criticism/correction about misinformation is more than welcome.
> 
> But also: let me know how you want Episode 2-3 to progress  
> \- Should Zel actually leave and meet up later  
> \- Get roped up in the chaos of the rescue  
> \- Din asks her to stay (This is unlikely unless that's what you guys want)


	4. The Child

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Any internal crisis that Zel has is put on hold when trash goblins wreck the ship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you could probably tell, Zel is a very vocal character. Does that make her annoying? Probably, but she'll grow out of it. Hopefully.
> 
> I'm one of those assholes who has to comment on everything. Why? I got no clue.

_The droid was not phased when she stood in the way, but monotonely asked for her to step aside. She denied him, and he tried again, but to no avail. Seeing this as violation, the droid raised it's blaster at her-_

_A shot fired._

_And the sound of metal hitting the floor echoed around them. Feeling no pain in her chest, she opened her eyes- not realizing she had closed them in the first place- to see the droid on the ground, a hole through it's processor. Her eyes looked to Mando, who held his blaster in hand, the tip smoking. A wave of relief crashed over her and she let out a sound that was a mix of laughter and gasping. His helmet was tilted towards her and the small infant behind her. Seeing as there was no immediate threat, Zelona turned back to face the child, who was peaking at the dead droid, head tilted in curiousity._

_This was the asset. A child. A freaking child._

_Shit._

* * *

"It's a kid. It's a fucking kid!" She looked at the little green potato in her arms who was cooing and playing with one of her lekku, running his tiny little hands over it like he'd never seen it before. Or maybe he thought it was pretty- she didn't know. Her mind was racing a million parsecs a minute, and a kid playing with her lekku was not a problem she had to deal with.

"I know."

"Mando, come on-" She nodded down to the little guy, who at the same moment looked up and her and his ears perked up. "It's a kid- we can't just turn it in. It's not right- and before you give me the whole 'we're bounty hunters' lecture, the people we caught actually did bad shit. This is a baby, whose worst crime would be poking you in the eye." She shook her head, subconsciously holding the baby close, who in turn snuggled into her chest. Unlike her partner, she wasn't covered in armor, making her the perfect pillow it seemed.

"What do you want to do? Keep it?" He retorted to her, stopping to face her in what had felt like hours. "It's a well-paid bounty with a tracking hob. What exactly can you do?" A part of her scowled at his use of 'you' instead of 'we'. Was he really so heartless as to let a child be taken- and have who knows what done to it- just for a bunch of metal? Sure, it belonged to his people, but this was a living, breathing, being.

Maybe she was too protective- too willing to save someone even if it meant her getting hurt. Even though she had just met the kid, as soon as she felt him fall asleep against her, she knew. She'd do whatever she had to if it meant it stayed alive and safe. "Maybe I will. Like I said- I have enough for a ship. I could buy it and take him away-"

"And what? Hide away for the rest of your life with a bounty on your head?" She felt his glare under the helmet, but she just stuck her chin up stubbornly. "Come on, Zelona."

"You do not get to-" Their argument got cut off by a Trandoshan hunter leaping at them from above. She threw herself out of the way, only a miracle that she didn't face-plant. Her partner wasn't so lucky. The hunter immediately zeroed in on the Mandalorian, prompting the Togruta to place the baby back in his cradle, heart twist when he reached out for her. Instead, she quietly apologized to him and closed it, hopefully keeping him safe from the attacker.

Nevermind, it was attackers, as another hunter with a vibro-axe charged Mando. She whipped out her saber and ducked into the hunter's way, blocking the ax with her blade. The hunter jerked from her strike, not expecting a sudden obstacle in the way of his plan, but he adjusted, swinging for her. His aims were for her torso, making it hard to block his attacks, opting for jumping out of the way- make him come to her.

One swing got too close- she felt the wind of it go by! A yelp escaped her, and not long after she heard a thunk and a groan through a helmet. Glancing from the corner of her eye she saw that a third hunter had joined the party, and managed to wham his ax onto Mando's chest piece. It didn't go through but it was clearly a hard blow, and beskar did nothing against impact.

To avoid the overhead swing of her combat partner, she rolled between his legs- easy given his height- and killed him with a slash to the back, all the way to the skull. With her's down, she went to aid her partner but noticed a trandoshan running for the cradle. Instinct took over as she leaped, tackling him to the ground, not because she had the strength, simply that she caught him off guard.

The two of them fell into the muddy ground of the canon and stared the other down. She had mud all over her, on her face, arms, clothes- it was everywhere. Ignoring it though, she snarled at the hunter, baring her fangs at him in a challenge. He accepted, but before he even got halfway through the swing, she jabbed her saber through his heart, the hilt of the blade against his chest. She used her foot to kick the body off her blade, immediately turning on her heel and opening the cradle. 

The baby stared up at her wide-eyed, then reached his hands out, his way of telling her he wanted to be picked up. Despite being covered in gross mud, she obliged, holding him in her arms. "Hey, buddy. That was fun, huh?" She spoke in a soft voice, her face leaning down to his like she was telling him a secret. A cough behind her snapped her out of it, and she looked to Mando, who was also covered in mud, looking unimpressed. Right, she saved the kid before she saved him. Whoops. She just gave him an awkward smile and shrugged. "What? Mama instincts kicked in." But any more jokes died on her lips when he held up the tracking hob. 

Another rival. He sighed, saying nothing, allowing the two- no the three of them, to continue on their way. And she couldn't wait to get back. The mud was already starting to dry up.

* * *

"You know, for a man covered with armor, you get injured a lot." She hummed, looking at the giant new dent in his chest piece. He really needed to get some new gear. Maybe that's what he'll do with the beskar. He'd be all shiny and new- if he wasn't alluring before he certainly would be later. "Were you cut anywhere? Bruises? Or is it just your ego?" She threw in a joke to hopefully lighten the mood, and it seemed to worth, getting what sounded like a laugh- could have been a huff- from the Mandalorian. 

A small coo distracted her to the child, who managed to climb out of his cradle, and now was attempting to pull himself into her lap. Seeing his struggle, she scooped him up and settled him on her thighs, arms tucking around him like a little base while she returned her attention to the Mandalorian. He was watching the two of them, silently by their only light source, a small lantern. 

"So-" she spoke without really thinking about what to say after that. "... so I'm curious about something. The helmets," she chose to ignore the way he stiffed, his body almost shifting into a defensive manner. But then again, whenever the subject came up it usually followed with someone trying to take off the helmet. Unlike those people, she enjoyed not have a snapped leg. "You never take them off? Or are there certain people you can take it off around?" She leaned against the rock behind her, using it to rest her back- though the edge poked into her skin.

For a minute she didn't think he was going to answer, but then he spoke, and his voice was rough- rougher than usual, she meant, "Yes. There are only a few who can see my face without breaking the Creed." And then he was done, but she raised a brow at him, hoping for him to elaborate. That earned her a classic sigh and a reluctant answer. "Only immediate family. Parents, children, spouse-"

"What happens if- like say I saw your face, what would that mean?" She pointed to herself, feeling the child snuggle into her stomach. He was like a little ball of warmth and affection.

"I could never put it back on."

She frowned and thought for a moment, one of her fingers brushing over the child's ear, making him call for her, grabbing her finger in his. "And that would break your... Creed, was it?" He nodded his head. In return, she just shrugged like it was no big deal. "Well, that works out then. I'm not really interested in what's under that tin can." Her eyes shifted to focus on the kid, who once again seemed utterly bewitched by her lekku, little fingers following the pattern.

"You'd be the first."

Zelona looked at him for a moment then looked down with a smile. "Maybe I'm just the first to get to know you." A silence fell over them, but unlike many before it, this was blissful silence. Each party lost in thoughts, all different. "All right, your turn." She spoke suddenly.

"For what?"

The togruta smiled. "Your turn to ask me something. Make it even." It was their game sort of- well more likely her game, since she always started it, and kinda forced him to play. It just felt weird for her to learn something about him and not give him something in return. Call her weird.

"Pass." Ah, back to the cold exterior again. It always frustrated her- sometimes it felt like they were friends, either she'd get a chuckle out of him, maybe he'd make her laugh- it felt like a friendship. But then he'd pull back to the cold and quiet man he had been- and still is- when she first met it. Almost made it feel like the year they had spent together had meant nothing- but then... maybe it didn't mean anything for him. Which made it hurt more because it meant something to _her_.

"Come on, there's not one- hey, no that is not for you." She broke off from the topic when she saw the little guy n her lap reach for her lightsaber, trying to grab at it. She pulled him back onto her lap, then with her free arm, dug around in her bag. After a few moments of struggle, she pulled out a small thing of crackers- something she brought from the ship in case the hunt took longer than expected. Zelona held one of the crackers out for the kid, who took it in his hands, twisting a turning it, like he was looking for something. When nothing seemed to cut his eye, the little one munched on it, then reach for the bag when he was finished. She sighed, but gave him the bag, holding him and his snack against her stomach.

"... What makes your... Lazer swords work?" Her partner asked after a moment of silence save for the munching of their quarry.

"Lightsabers- and it's this." The Togruta pulled out the necklace from where it was tucked under her shirt, showing the blue crystal to the Mandalorian. It twirled on the cord, the light of the lantern making it appear to have a soft glow around it.

"A tiny rock makes a blade that can cut through most materials?" He deadpanned at her, and she threw her head back in laughter. Damn, even his seriousness made her laugh.

"Ha! No, no. It's a special rock. There's a planet, Ilis or something- anyways, special crystals grow there. According to my mother, when younglings came of a certain age, you would go to the planet to harvest one. Supposedly the crystal choice its wielder, and its color meant something. Blue for a strong warrior, and green for power in the force. You took one, crafted the hilt, and that's it." She explained, twisting the blue crystal in her hand. She imagined it must be odd for most, how such a tiny crystal could contain so much power.

"You're blade is green. Does that mean you can- move things better than others?" He awkwardly made a gesture with his hand, a mimic of what she often did when she'd throw something at someone from across the room. 

She just shrugged and looked at the completed saber. "I dunno. I don't really believe the whole color thing- could just be I like green." A hum escaped her, clipping back to her belt.

"And the blue?"

"It isn't mine." She answered simply, but moved on when she saw him shift in a way that he always did when he would scold her- which felt very often actually. "It belonged to my mother- her first lightsaber. When I turned 19 she dismantled hers and gave me the crystal."

"Why dismantle it?"

"To be honest, I got no fucking clue." She admitted with an exaggerated shrug. "To personalize it, sense of accomplishment? It could mean anything really. Perhaps it was a trial back then- cause my mom said this saying. 'This lightsaber is your life'. Kinda dumb, given the circumstances, it was true. So in a way- I guess my lightsaber is the same as your helmet."

She sensed his skepticism before he even spoke. "I doubt it." All she could do was shrug.

"Right, I'm gonna shut up so we can rest before tomorrow." Was her last comment of the night, shifting around into a more comfortable position- both for her and the kid- who was now passed out on her chest, snuggling closer to the warmth. Her eyes closed, and she awaited the morning.

* * *

Same as yesterday, the day was annoying hot; sweat falling down her neck- thankful as shit she didn't bring her cloak. With her goggles over her face, it gave her eyes some relief from the glaring sun, staring down on them as they walked with the kid and cradle. The little guy wasn't too eager to go back to his tiny metal bed, protesting when she tried, resulting in her carrying him in the crook of her arm. 

Climbing over rocks, hills, and following beaten down paths for a few hours eventually led them to their ship. Which was uh... a fraction of what they had left.

Pieces of the exterior were stripped off and thrown about the half-dismantled ship. Jawas were crawling all over them, and for once, she actually wanted to shoot those little assholes in the face. Mando clearly read her mind because he snatched out his rifle and tucked onto his belly. Sniper mode: activated. Before shooting, he took a closer look at them, seeing them drag off some very, very essential parts to the ship. If they got away with them- they were stranded.

First, she thought he was taking his sweet time to determine which one to shoot first- but nope. He sniped one, disintegrating it immediately, leaving only the cloak behind. The Jawas dropped the parts they had, booking it to their moving fortress as fast as their tiny ass legs could carry them. Some still seemed determined to get the parts inside- who were immediately sniped. He got 4 of them before the fortress was on the move.

As her partner slid down the hill to give chase, she placed the baby in his cradle before following suit. While running, he pulled out his rifle, briefly pausing to shoot at the pipes on the back. It broke through but did not seem to affect the fortress. So he gave chase again- now she was ahead of him. Using the force to aid her, she leaped. She grabbed onto a pole in the middle of the back, having leaped about 20 feet, she clung to it with all her might, even wrapping her legs around to pole to get her partner up too. But when she turned, he was nowhere to be seen. However, she gathered he got on too when she heard all the screaming Jawas and sounds of blasters.

He seemed to have their attention, allowing her to start climbing freely without trouble. That was until one spotted her from the roof of the giant thing, and pointed, screaming at her. A few more showed up, throwing scrap metal and other junk at her, preventing her from getting any higher. A blaster nearly shot her hand off the pole, but she ducked, only hanging by her legs crossed above her. Switching to her hands, she swung herself over to a piece that had a ladder attached- allowing her to climb with ease.

The thing nearly rammed into a rock wall- probably to get off her partner, but seeing nobody having fallen off, she continued her climb. A rock hit her Montreal, disorienting her for a second, but her grip remained true, only her feet slipping. The sound of a faint cable whip in the background told her that her partner was fairing better than her. Figures- the armor came in handy.

Something else hit her head, this much heavier, the force enough to knock her off the ladder. She didn't hit the ground though, her fall broken by the pole she had used earlier. The pole caught her in the abdomen, knocking the breath out of her when it was already hard to breathe in the dusty back. A cry got her attention, and it was only then when she saw the cradle following them that she realized they had left him all alone, not knowing the cradle would be able to keep up. Zelona heaved, trying to bring in air into her lungs when the sounds of electricity echoed above her.

A part of her thought it was Mando- but she knew better. None of his weapons made that noise. It was confirmed when she heard the sound of beskar meeting the ground, and a few seconds later seeing his limp body on the ground. Instead of continuing on, she released the pole, landing with a drop and roll, but still tripped over her feet as she ran up to her fallen partner.

Dropping to her knees next to him, she grabbed and shook his shoulder. "Shit- are you okay? Mando? Fuck, I swear to the stars if Jawas are what took you out-" she couldn't feel a pulse through the fabric and metal of his attire, so she took a deep breath, and then reached for the collar of his shirt, that went under the helmet. She pleaded silently that she wouldn't see his face, lest that grant her a quick death. "Please don't be dead, please don't be dead-"

She pressed her fingers to the side of his neck, but because of the thick fabric, she couldn't feel anything. She couldn't tell if he was breathing- the armor hid the rise and fall of his chest, so she peeled it off of him, then pressed her face against his chest, hoping for at best to feel his breath, and at worst a faint heartbeat. Zelona could have laughed with relief when the rise of his chest pressed against her cheek, allowing herself from him, but her hands remained on his chest. Like she needed a reminder he was okay.

Well- actually she should check if there was any head damage. She only hoped he didn't wake up to find her feeling the back of his head to see if any skin broke. Hesitantly, she placed her hand on his neck, then trailed up underneath the helmet, gently running her hand over the back of his head. It was a tight fit, even hurt a little- but she didn't want to be the reason he broke the Creed. Finding there was no broken skin- the best she could assume was a definite concussion, bruises, and a fractured ego. 

A little coo came from beside and checking over her shoulder, there was the kid, staring at the fallen man with his ears flattened. He leaned forward, tilting his head, like if he was doing his own assessment to see if he was dead. "He's okay kid. Just banged up." She hummed, placing a hand on the child's back, giving a small smile. It seemed to make him feel better, ears perking a little.

Seeing as Mando was clearly was out for the count- and waiting for him to wake up would just give the Jawas time to create a large distance between them, she opted for the next best thing. 

* * *

It took a few hours before they got to their destination- by which time the sky had changed from a blue to include shades of pink, a telling sign of dusk in an hour or two. She was exhausted, having thrown the Mandalorian over her shoulder and trekked across the terrain to Kuiil's place. Not even to get medical supplies- just for him to keep an eye on the kid and her partner while she went to deal with the Jawas. Sooner that happened, sooner that they got off of this world. And though she would never admit it, she could have cried when she saw Kuiil's place. Mando was still out of it- so she could only assume he did more than fall. He was still alive, but still out of it. Complete dead weight, and she never thought she'd curse his number of weapons on his person until she had to drag his ass over here.

Kuiil was working on something- well she wasn't sure what kind of machine needed its control panel 15 feet of the ground, though that was hardly important. "I thought you were dead." The Ugnaught hummed, not even looking at them.

She huffed and readjusted her grip, slipping her partner off of her shoulders and her arms going under Mando's so he wouldn't just be dropped to the ground like an object. Though with all the armor, he'd make a convincing droid. "Yeah, I wouldn't back out of that yet." So when the Ugnaught turned to see the unconscious Mandalorian being dragged by his partner who had half the muscle, he climbed down and beckoned her to bring him inside. Even with the two of them, her taking the upper body and Kuill with the lower half, it was still a tough few minutes, dragging him inside, then making sure he wasn't dead. Again.

She wanted to stay with him, but she needed to get moving if she was going to get the skip parts back as soon as she could before they were sold. Before she exited to join Kuiil and the kid, she took off the armor, allowing both him and the pieces to cool down, then placing a hand on his shoulder, thumb rubbing back and forth. A frown graced her lips as she stood, staring at him for a brief moment before exiting. 

Outside, Kuiil was staring at the child as it- chased a frog? Okay. She ignored it, though she tried to keep an eye on him, in case... she didn't know if a Blurrg decided he looked tasty or something. Maybe to make sure he didn't eat the frog- who knows what that could lead to. "So, this is what was causing all the fuss?"

"Yeah. They told us 50 years old- but it's just a kid." Her arms crossed over her chest, allowing the cooler air of the night to breeze over here. Mind you, it was still warm, but significantly colder than the day.

The Ugnaught nodded, "best to bring it in alive then."

"Kuiil-" She paused for a moment, biting her lip before she crossed her arms, "you helped us earlier- and you just did again but-," Zelona sighed. "We need your help. Again." Her stomach twisted in guilt, she felt bad for asking so much of the man who just wanted peace for his home. "The ship was destroyed by Jawas."

Kuiil shook his head though. "Stripped. Not destroyed." At the tilt of her head, he explained further. "Jawas steal. They don't destroy."

Zelona tucked her head against her chest. "Stolen, destroyed? What difference does it make?" From the corner of her eye, she could see the child playing with a frog, or chasing it at least, and it almost seemed like the frog was amusing him by hanging around. "As long as they're in that- fortress thing, I can't get the parts."

"You could trade." It would sound like a sensible request, except for, you know, the fact that the Jawas stole their shit, and to get it back they had to give them something? Fuck no. "I can lead you to them." She was super annoyed but agreed nonetheless. Worse case- she got there, knocked the little bastards out, and dragged the stuff they stole back piece by piece.

A noise behind her turned her attention back to the baby who- "Oi! Spit it out." She scolding, bending at the knees to take the half-eaten frog out of the baby's mouth, but she didn't even finish the sentence when the thing was swallowed up. Well... he seemed fine. "...Okay then. So you eat frogs. Good to know." She scooped the baby into her arms, holding him against her chest. "So, we wait till morning- and we see the Jawas?" When Kuiil nodded she looked back at the house, sensing movement. "I'll go tell him. But I'll give you a warning when he's pissed, he's more likely to give you attitude." At least, more than he already did, unless her case was special.

She hoped, but it wasn't.

* * *

To say the Mandalorian was angry was an understatement. And to say he was ready to wring the little bastards and use their cloaks as wall decorations... was fairly accurate. He was so pissed he didn't even say anything when she told him what had happened since his fall. While she was against him coming so he could rest, he was coming regardless. "It's _my_ ship." he had said. 

He had been so insistent on coming, that they actually left not even 10 minutes after he regained consciousness. The first half of the trip was dark and wet, due to the rainstorm- and since her cloak had been stolen, she was tucked under Mando's curled up next to him with the baby in her arms, watching the rain with wonder like fascination. Thankfully it had stopped by the time the fortress had come into view.

Kuiil, riding his blurrg and pulling along a cart for the parts- led the way, since clearly, the Jawas either knew him or more likely because he didn't attack them. That they know of.

The Jawas had set up... shop or camp? It was a display of parts that they seemed to be looking over, passing them amongst one another or cleaning them with rags. A few were tinkering with the parts; she only hoped that their parts weren't damaged. Initially, they seemed happy to see Kuiil, who greeted them in Jawa, but once they had caught sight of the two behind him, many of them pulled out their blasters- or Jawa-sized canons? Some were definitely too bulky to be blasters.

The Ugnaught commented on the sudden hostility towards the two of them, and she snorted. "Mando didn't exactly leave a good first impression." She nudged the Mandalorian beside her in a playful manner, but his only answer was a huff, and his grip on his rifle tightened.

One of the Jawas yelled something to Kuiil, who looked to her partner. "You need to drop your rifle."

"I'm a Mandalorian," he argued, making no move to drop the gun. "Weapons are part of my religion." She gave him a look, but from the way his helmet was facing forward, he probably didn't see it.

"Well, then you're not getting your parts back." Kuiil pointed out with a raised brow, forcing the Mandalorian with an irritated sigh to put the rifle down.

And when he had to leave the blaster too, she thought his head might explode. Instead, she took the blaster and put it beside the rifle, leaning back against the cart by the child. "Don't worry big guy. Just play nice and we'll get through this." He probably gave her a look under that helmet before he joined Kuiil for negotiations. They were close enough for her to hear- the original offer was for the beskar, but that was quickly shot down, unsurprisingly. And of course, it was pointed out that they stole these from them, so there shouldn't have to be a trade.

She was listening very closely before something caught her eye. When all the surroundings were various shades of brown, orange, and copper, it was easy to notice something white and blue. Before she really registered what she was doing, she was walking towards what she saw. It was buried under junk, but the top of it peaked out, and the marking that was visible made her heart stop.

Nearly bowling over a few Jawas she sped walked to the pile and getting onto her knees, started digging through the pile- ignoring the ruckus it caused and the panicked sounds of Jawas around her, yelling at her to stop- but she kept digging. After shoving away several parts of droids- speeders, even a few pieces of the ship, she found what she was looking for, taking it into both of her hands. She held it to her chest, body curling around his while she let out a breathy laugh of relief, eyes stinging- enough so that a tear fell onto the helmet, and traced down the side of the signature jaig eyes.

The commotion had caught everyone's attention, halting the negotiations, as Jawas tried to pry the helmet from the Togruta's arms, who startled many of them by snarling and hissing at them, clutching the object tighter to her, refusing to let it go. It dragged Kuiil and Mando over, and after seeing what she was clutching, only one understood why she had suddenly become so protective and territorial over an object. Her father's helmet, more important to her than anything, she had once told him when he had first found it. 

Mando pushed his way beside her, trying to clear away the Jawas clawing at the helmet, some even pulling out their blasters. It was only by some miracle that Kuiil calmed both parties down enough for them to return to negotiations- though it was clear Zelona was not letting go of the helmet with the way she held a death grip on it. She sat beside her partner, glaring at the Jawas, and the not-so-subtle attempts to take back the helmet every few minutes. 

While Kuiil explained to the Jawas that they could not trade the beskar, the Jawas then attempted to trade it all for the child, who was watching, confused as hell probably, as to why this weird exchange was happening. Mando turned to see two of them pointing and poking the kid, then snapped at them, sending the little hooded creatures running.

Eventually, they came to an agreement. The Jawas would give all the parts, and the helmet, they made sure to add, in exchange the hunters were to bring them The Egg. Kuiil rubbed his temples while the Jawas continuously chanted "The Egg!" over and over, like a mantra. She was initially reluctant, but it seemed the only way to get their stuff back without unnecessary violence; so she had little choice but to agree to the terms. She and Mando were taken inside the fortress, having to practically crawl on their knees to get around it, the floors being so small- for the Jawas to take them to the location of The Egg. 

A part of her wondered if it was an actual egg like they wanted to eat it, or maybe whatever it would grow into was of great value to them, or if that was a nickname if it were a jewel or a prized weapon of some sorts. But knowing what little she did about Jawas, it was likely the latter. The chanting didn't even stop when they got inside, and for what felt like hours they were forced to endure the chanting of the hooded sentients.

On the bright side- one of the Jawas had taken the helmet from her and cleaned some of the dirt it has gotten on it from their escape a few days prior. It was a sweet gesture, probably a peace offering, and when she offered a smile, a lot of the tension seemed to disappear.

There were a few bumps that caused her to bang her montrals on the ceiling, a very unpleasant feeling to say the least, but the Jawas seemed more entertained at seeing Mandalorian getting jostled by the ride. The kid was by him, watching through the window, in what honestly was a decent view of the planet. At least, this part of the planet.

Eventually, the ride stopped, fortunately before the Mandalorian murdered one of the Jawas for continuously shouting in his ear. So the two of them set off, with Kuiil and the Jawas staying with the fortress. And for some reason, they were bringing the kid. She didn't think it wise, cause who knows what they'd have to fight in order to get the egg the Jawas wanted so badly; on the other hand, Mando had zero interest in leaving their quarry with the 'trash goblins' as he called them.

The path they followed led to a dip in the hills to a flattened muddy area, that if she were honest reminded her of a fighting ring. Along the hillside of one of the surrounding hills was a cave or a giant burrow. The two hunters looked it over, deciding to come up with a plan before they went in.

"I'll draw it out." She had offered, though Mando disagreed, saying he had the armor for it in case it came at her. Her objection was that of the two of them, he had better blaster aim- and she was fast so armor wouldn't be needed. She'd go in, rile up whatever was in there, if there was anything to bother, and have it chase her out where he could shoot it down. And if necessary she had her sabers, though she worried that if they couldn't shoot it dead, then close range could prove dangerous. 

They agreed to have the kid stay with Mando, most likely to be away from direct confrontation of whatever lied within the cave. And entered the area, they did.

She waited until they were a decent distance from the entrance of the cave, before she grabbed her saber, though she did not ignite it. With a deep breath and a quick moment to close her eyes, calling to the force for protection, she stepped inside the cave.

* * *

She had gotten 2 feet in, and already she could barely see. With a lack of vision, she pulled down her goggles, something she should have done earlier if she was fighting in a giant mud pit, so she could turn on the night vision installed in them. The mud was much deeper and stickier here, up to her ankles, making it difficult to move through the place silently. A part of her hoped she could just find the egg and book it- but she knew her Mandalorian partner would want to kill whatever laid the egg- if it was here. 

Despite the mud, she moved fairly quietly, spotting nothing, save for larges biles of bones, or just bones of a large size. Weird grass-like moss grew on the walls, on the floor, and on weird piles of rocks, or what she hoped what mud.

Even with the night vision, it was still dark, so she opted to turn it off, and ignited her lightsaber, proving to provide more than enough light for her to see. Unfortunately, when she turned, waving the giant green beacon in her hand, it caught the attention of the beast inside, who revealed its milky red-eye to her. Her body frozen for a moment, taking a slow step backward, hoping not to startle it too much- but she stepped on, on something, a weak bone, because something snapped under her foot.

And that was the trigger.

She yelped as the beast swung its head at her, a large horn on the tip of its head, nearly impaling her head. She didn't fall over, but she stumbled away from, freezing for a moment until it roared at her, prompting the togruta to break into a sprint, or as close as she could to a sprint in the deep mud. She didn't even make it to the mouth of the cave; the creature- a mudhorn- was just suddenly behind her and using its head, thankfully not the horn, threw her out of the cave.

Zelona let out a cry on impact, rolling before she came to a halt, lying on her side in the mud. Thank fuck for the goggles, which had protected her eyes from getting the mud in them. Quickly brushing the mud off of her eyewear, she steadily pushed herself to her feet, though her right leg ached, and when she looked, saw a gash just above the knee. It wasn't bad, but given the area, it could get infected quickly, and it stung like shit with just a tiny movement.

The mudhorn roared and charged forward, forcing her to dodge out of the way, only to realize the creature wasn't aiming at her when it slammed into Mando, sending him flying and landing straight on his back. Thankfully it left the child alone, who was watching with wide terrified eyes from the sidelines. 

Zelona activated her saber again, throwing it at the beast, lodging it in the creature's back leg when she saw her partner fumble with his rifle, which had been knocked from his hands. The beast, identifying her as the cause of the wound charged her. Standing still until it was just on top of her, she jumped and wrapped her arms and legs onto the horn of the beast, riding it and blocking its view. It snarled at her and thrashed its head back and forth to try and shake her off, but it only strengthened her resolve to hold on tighter. 

In the background, she heard Mando cursing, and opening her eyes, saw him unable to fire the gun- because it was jammed which also prevented him from loading any more ammo to fire. In the single moment she looked away, the beast had decided to charge at a wall, and slammed her into it, the force of the impact making her let go and fall into the ground, unmoving. Dazed, Zelona pushed herself up on her elbows, hearing someone shout for her- only to have them interrupted by the mudhorn.

Hissing in pain from the gash in her leg, she stumbled over towards the baby. Soon, it seemed the child had become a target for the mudhorn, who decided to charge the little cradle. Her instincts took over and despite the pain, she gritted her teeth and used her weight to throw herself and the cradle out of the way; the mudhorn was unable to stop itself as it slammed into the wall. With adrenaline pumping through her system, the pain had dulled, though it was still noticeable, but it was the least of her concerns. First, she focused on getting the kid to a safe distance away from the mudhorn, and second she looked to find her partner- only for her eyes to widen. He was close to the mudhorn and activated his flame thrower, trying to burn it, but despite all, it hardly seemed damaged by the flames- more annoyed than anything.

In retaliation, the mudhorn slammed him into the ground, shutting down the flames. Her weapon was gone, still in- she got an idea. A stupid but potentially brilliant idea. Reaching out, she used the force to guide the saber to cut through the hide of the beast, though it was extremely thick and proved to require a high concentration-

Her reward was the same as Mando- though she did not have beskar to protect her from such a force, cause all wind to be knocked out of her, leaving her nearly unable to breathe. Similarly, she was unable to move, even her eyes, which just stared up at the sky, too busy coughing and trying to inhale to notice the cable that wrapped itself around the horn of the beast, diverting its attention. As it ran to charge her partner, she forced herself onto her stomach, only held up by her shaking upper arms, which threatened to collapse underneath her.

Her eyes stung behind the goggles from the lack of air in her lungs and stung even more when she managed to suck a few breaths in- now focusing on restabilizing her breathing so she didn't pass out from the short quick breaths. When she was finally able to see, she wished she hadn't.

Mando was reduced to nothing to use by his blade that he kept in his boot- utterly exhausted, as he didn't even bother to get to his feet, remaining on the ground on his knees. Her entire body froze as the beast charged him- ready to land the final blow. She squeezed her eyes shut, unwilling to witness her friend's end.

It didn't come. After a few moments of silence, she opened her eyes, only for them to double in size at the sight before her. The mudhorn was floating in mid-air, and she wasn't doing it. Her head snapped to the child who was a few feet to her left. His large eyes were closed and his hand was extended and lightly shaking.

He was force-sensitive. He was like her.

That knocked out her air almost as much as the mudhorn did. Somehow she pushed herself to her knees, trying to stand, and ignore the pain in her leg, mud had gotten into the wound- so they needed to clean it lest it get infected and she loses it. Mando seemed as shocked as her, especially when he looked at her and saw she wasn't doing anything, the act being that of the small green child.

With a last burst of energy, the Mandalorian lodged his knife into the mudhorn's neck, cutting down as the beast wailed from the pain. The act of holding him for that long clearly exhausted the child, who let him go, almost immediately passed out. A feeling of dread filled her, but it lightened when she saw he was breathing normally. She sensed nothing wrong- save for the mental exhaustion it gave him. He just needed to rest, and he would be okay. 

In the small time she had checked over the child, Mando had entered the cave, returning with the egg in hand. She stumbled over to him, and when she got close enough, she threw her arms around his shoulders, letting out a relieved laugh and pulling back as soon as she had initiated the hold. Though his helmet did little for expression, she could tell she had caught him off-guard. As usual with physical contact. If it wasn't a fist to the face, he was always shy and avoided it.

The Egg was absolutely disgusting looking- hairy and covered in mud. But that wasn't what this was about. They survived- and all because of the being they would be turning in for a profit. It made her stomach twist inside her, bile in her throat, and just like scum. How could they turn him in after he had so willingly saved their lives? Any excitement she had about getting the parts for the ship and her father's helmet back died when she looked back at the sleeping baby.

A feeling of sorrow and dread filled her, as she began to imagine what the Imperials truly wanted with him.

* * *

They had to lean on each other for support- her for the wound, and him for being disoriented, being knocked on the head a few too many times in the past 24 hours. In any other situation, one might have thought them drunk the way they held onto each other's shoulders and stumbled down the path back to the Jawas.

She could feel the shift in the air as the planet's sun began its descent into the night- a tingle in her spine. By the time they were in view of the Jawas and Kuiil, it seemed like the scavengers had given up on them- the giant door closing until Kuiil started cheering. An army of Jawas ran towards them hurrying them along to the fortress where the leader of this group was waiting. Its hands were held out expectantly, waiting for the egg. The two hunters exchanged a glance before they handed it over.

As soon as it was in the leader's hands, the group forgot about them, crowding around the egg, jabbering excitedly. 

Finally allowing the exhaustion to catch up to her, in addition to the sting pain of her leg, Zelona allowed herself to slump against her partner, who nearly fell over from the sudden weight himself. He led, and by led she meant dragged, he dragged her over to the cart Kuiil had and helped her to sit on it. For the first time since the fight, she allowed herself to look at the wound on her leg. 

While not quite infected just yet, the area around the skin was swelling up, turning a nasty red with a purple tint to the cut itself. Mud was everywhere, and considering how dirty the horn was- yeah it was definitely gonna get infected, no way around it. Even her olive pants, stained with mud also stain with dark red stains around the area, even had some on her boot and arm. It was above the knee, so not too serious- but close enough to her upper thigh that there was a bit of blood.

The Jawas, who had somehow managed to eat the contents of the egg within 5 minutes of them having it, happily piled all of the stuff they stripped from the ship- and one of them personally retrieved her father's helmet for her. She thanked them, watching all of the scrap pile up on the cart. It was a bit difficult with her on it, but she scooted to the edge to give them more room. She tried getting off but the Mandalorian just put her back on, giving her the cradle with the napping child as they began the trip back.

During the trip that took them into the night- she stared down at her father's helmet, at the jaig eyes above the area he saw out of, a wave of nostalgia hit her. Back as a child, she questioned what her father had done before this. And not one to truly hold back information, he told his daughter, then 5 at the time. He spared her the grisly details, how he would have to kill others in order to save lives- and the lives of allies he had to let happen in order for victory, instead deciding to tell her of the positives. He told her about the way he and his brothers protected people, those who could not help themselves. They saved people, even in the most difficult times.

The longer she stared at the helmet she felt her chest and stomach squeeze and tighten inside of her. What would her father even say to this- bounty hunting could go multiple ways- but they usually targetted actual criminals. But this was a child. A life that should be protected, and now, they were about to bring him back to the people who could kill him. Maybe a fate worse than death, forced to endure centuries of experiments and testing, forgetting what life was truly about.

Her thoughts brought her to look at the kid, still sleeping. She brushed a finger over his tiny hand, her heart swelling when his little fingers tightened around the digit. Her heart was swelling, not with sorrow or guilt, but affection for the tiny creature she had only known for a few days. She couldn't let the deal go through.

Not now.

* * *

She had offered to help them rebuild the ship, but her wound prevented her from being able to stand for more than a minute, so she was forced to sit and watch, with the baby, who was still sleeping off his little stunt from earlier. It took them the entire night, but by morning, the ship was up and running. She was in the cargo bay with the others, sitting on a crate while Kuiil and Mando chatted. 

"I can't thank you enough. Please allow me to give you a portion of the reward."

"I cannot accept. You are my guest and I am therefore in your service." He explained as if what he had done wasn't extremely generous- a rare trait at the beginning of a new era.

"Kuiil, with all due respect, we asked so much of you-" The Ugnaught held up his hand and shook his head. She huffed out a laugh at his stubbornness to not be rewarded.

Mando decided to make a pitch- anything to find a way to repay the man who had done so much for them without expecting anything in return. "We could use a crew member of your ability, and I can pay handsomely." But Kuiil denied, telling him that he had already worked a lifetime to be free- something he did not wish to repeat, even if the conditions and circumstances were different. His answer gave her more respect for the Ugnaught.

Thankfully her partner understood as well. "I understand. Then all I can offer is our thanks."

"And I offer mine. Thank you for bringing peace to my valley." He shook the Mandalorian's hand, then hers. She kissed him on the cheek and gave the Ugnaught a smile.

"Thank you, for everything. If you ever need help- you only need to ask." She spoke to him softly. It was an offer she genuinely meant, regardless of how her partner felt about it. Kuiil smiled at her, and walked down the ramp of the ship, waving them goodbye as they went to the cockpit, Mando helping her with her leg, to take off.

The Ugnaught disappeared quickly from sight, leaving only the planet to stare at below them. She was silent, then looked at the kid, still asleep. It took a great deal of training to be able to lift something as strong and forceful as the mudhorn, and those who could were usually adults- so the toll on his body and mind must have been extreme for someone so young into their life cycle.

It was quiet in the cockpit. The child was asleep- and Zelona was watching over him with a blank stare. He looked so peaceful, so innocent as if he were just a normal child- like he hadn't done what he had done earlier. This child had saved their lives, and in return, they would forfeit his. 

He was like her. Though much more powerful than she at that stage in life- but then he also had 50 years behind his training. While he possessed the skill, it was clear it would take a toll on his body. He was just like her. Her heart twisted in her chest as she realized more and more about the job. Ex-Imperials were hunting for a force-sensitive child.

Just as she was hunted during the Empire's reign, he too was being pursued by those who wished him ill-will. She could not allow that for him; after everything he had done, he deserved to be a child, to grow up without fear or worry that someone might have seen too much and could turn you in- to have you taken away to be poked and prodded with needles and various medical equipment until it became all you knew. She refused to give that child this fate.

With a wince, she pushed herself to her feet, and limped her way to the door. "I'm gonna clean off, see what I can do about this wound." He didn't respond to her, so she looked over her shoulder at him. "After that, we need to talk."


	5. The Sin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It all comes to a head folks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God this episode makes me so sad- I remember watching it with my family and my mom was just aghast, claiming that Din was the worst person ever- then I'm sitting there with my popcorn chuckling because I knew what was happening  
> Good times

_It was quiet in the cockpit. The child was asleep- and Zelona was watching over him with a blank stare. He looked so peaceful, so innocent as if he were just a normal child- like he hadn't done what he had done earlier. This child had saved their lives, and in return, they would forfeit his._

_He was like her. Though much more powerful than she at that stage in life- but then he also had 50 years behind his training. While he possessed the skill, it was clear it would take a toll on his body. He was just like her. Her heart twisted in her chest as she realized more and more about the job. Ex-Imperials were hunting for a force-sensitive child._

_Just as she was hunted during the Empire's reign, he too was being pursued by those who wished him ill-will. She could not allow that for him; after everything he had done, he deserved to be a child, to grow up without fear or worry that someone might have seen too much and could turn you in- to have you taken away to be poked and prodded with needles and various medical equipment until it became all you knew. She refused to give that child this fate._

_With a wince, she pushed herself to her feet, and limped her way to the door. "I'm gonna clean off, see what I can do about this wound." He didn't respond to her, so she looked over her shoulder at him. "After that, we need to talk."_

* * *

It took her about 2 minutes to hobble to the fresher, at which point Mando had caught up to her. He told her he came to help patch her up, but she knew there was something on his mind. Which was good, because she had something to say too. They needed to talk about the kid.

He helped her into the fresher, breaking out the medkit they had. It had the standards- bacta shots and patches, gauze, disinfectant- but it also included a knife, one they used to cut away fabric or to cut out something. Thankfully they hadn't used it much- but now was one of those times. After helping her to sit on the 'injury bench' as she called it, seeing as any treatment on the ship happened there- he used the knife the slice off little pieces of the material of her pants to have a better view of the wound, and the surrounding area in case there was something they missed.

Thankfully there were no more wounds, and they could focus on the cut on her leg. It was still caked in mud, and even the slightest pressure made her wince- likely infection. She noticed he took care after seeing her wince from that- getting out a cloth and wetting it with water to clean the mud off. It was already drying up and it felt weird- like she had the sticker of a plant on her leg- without the pain. "I'll do it." She spoke, taking the cloth and gritting her teeth as she slowly cleaned out her wood.

Occasionally she had to pause because it hurt too much- but Zelona only allowed herself a moment or two to calm herself before continuing. The worst part was getting the mud in the cut. She let her partner do that, unable to hold the cloth there for more than a few seconds before she would pull back- which got them nowhere. So she had to grit her teeth and whimper, clutching the side of the bench so hard her arms shook as he cleaned out the mud, doing it as gently as he could. When he pulled back, satisfied he had gotten all of it, the togruta let her head hit the wall and let out a string of curses in relief.

He let out a small chuckle at the way she always made things so dramatic- but then again, he made them such things very undramatic, having become a master of hiding his pain. Helped to have a helmet. 

The next part was worse for her; she never n=knew where it originated, but she was terrified of needles. So shots, injections, blood being drawn for medical purposes, even if it saved her life in the past, freaked her out so much she'd freeze. So when she saw him pick up the shot, she scooted away. "Hell no. No, use the patch-"

"The shot works quicker." He dismissed her, grabbing her ankle, and tugged her back, tucking the lower half of the limb under his arm so she couldn't pull away. "Just relax." He pressed the needle tip against her skin, only to pull back when he felt her grab his hand in a killer grip. Through his visor, he saw her eyes scrunched closed, face turned away, and her hand clutching his like a lifeline. It always got like this- he'd have to act like a parent with a child whenever she and needles came into contact. It was the one time he ever saw her terrified. That, and stormtroopers.

Which was why he wanted to get this over with, they'd leave, and it could go back to normal again.

Zelona didn't open her eyes, worrying her lip between her teeth and increasing the intensity of her grip on her partner's hand. "Just- I need to hold something. Please." He didn't respond to her, but he put the needle down and moved her hand that held his to his cape. 

"I'll need my hands," he explained, almost even sounding apologetic to her, picking the needle up once more. "Close your eyes." His voice was stern and she complied, squeezing them shut as she tried to force her body to relax, only for it to tense up every few seconds. 

The moment it was injected into her system, she yelped from the burn it caused, only for it to immediately to be followed by a numbing cool expanding through her leg. One of her eyes peeked open to watch her partner released her leg, then wrapped it with gauze, making sure they were tight enough to help stomach potential bleeding but loose enough for the blood to flow through her lower leg. 

Her thanks were quiet, shifting to sit up, hands clasped in her lap. The two of them were silent, sitting next to one another, waiting for the other to break the silence. "I guess we need to talk, huh?"

"We do." The way he said it, even through his helmet, his tone made her tilt her head at him.

But she let out a breathy laugh and rubbed her arms. "I have a feeling we want to talk about different things." She commented, closing her eyes for the impending answer. So much was happening she had completely forgotten some of the things they had done. And for the moments she was thinking- it hit her once again. This was their last job as a team. It panicked her more this time because they were almost done. Almost there. "You go first."

He nodded, but his helmet wasn't faced towards her but to the wall across from them. And like always when he wanted to say something, it took him forever to say it. "Before we met Kuiil," oh, it was about this. This was probably his 'we had a good run but it's time we go our separate ways' speech. Or maybe he'd just say that it was an honor and leave. She's seen him do both. Neither was what she wanted. "- you said you had enough for a ship."

\- Flashback - 

_"I think..." Zelona trailed off for a moment, looking at the cracked ground with intense interest. "I think I'm glad we took this job."_

_That got his head-turning, as he sat himself up from his reclined position. "That was quick."_

_It made a chuckle escape her, despite the feeling in her chest. "I was just thinking- if this is our last gig- I want it to be a memorable one." Something in the mood shifted once she had finished speaking. She wouldn't look at him, and there were tense postures between the two. One of confusion, and the other of disappointment._

_"You think we're gonna die?" Her head snapped up to look at him, frantically shaking her head._

_"What? No- I, no. I don't think we're going to die. It's just-" She swallowed and looked at the ground, then forced a smile onto her face. "I have enough."_

_"Enough..."_

_"Enough credits. To get me a ship." She reminded him of the deal struck up between them, or more so the deal she had forced on him, and he didn't care enough to throw her ass off the ship. "Took a while, but-"_

\- End -

"Oh. I guess I did." Her hands, which were clasped in her lap, tensed up and she let her gaze fall to the ground. Tension grew the more the silence lasted so she forced herself to speak. "Yeah. I don't know how Nevarro is with ship sales- but if you got me to a place that had some good ones, then we can conclude the deal." She gave him a glance from the corner of her eye and offered a forced smile. "Finally get me out of your hair- must've been a hard year." Zelona tried to joke to lighten her own somber mood.

"Not really."

That piqued her interest and she looked at him, but he hadn't moved, save for leaning his arms on his knees. "Oh? Was it nice having another pair of hands around?"

It was another joke, of course, but Mando seemed to take it seriously. "It's... been a while since I've had a partner. It's..." she could imagine him frowning as he tested out the next word. "-nice." It was an awkward delivery, but it gave her a warm feeling in her chest.

"It's been nice being your partner," she answered him and bumped his shoulder with hers. "Guess we'll have to get used to being on our own again, huh?" 

Thank fuck she was sitting because she would have definitely fallen over if she was. "Might not have to." Even sitting down she felt like she could fall over, or keel over from shock.

"Hold up- you asking me to stay? Or have you replaced me so quickly?" She questioned him, carefully shifting closer like a child looking at a large cookie. He leaned away, but only slightly, and finally was facing her. Looking at him, she might not have been able to tell he was on edge, if not for the fact that his energy was radiating from it. Like he was afraid of what happened next.

"Is that something you want?" His voice was quieter this time, but nonetheless sincere in the question.

But she had to know before giving an answer. "Is that something _you_ want?" The togruta let out a sigh and looked at him, taking one of his stiffened hands in bother of hers, holding it gently on her uninjured leg. "Mando, I enjoy working with you." She told him straightforward, looking to where she assumed his eyes were behind the visor. "And I love hunting with you. You're so driven and determined- but you're loyal at the same time. You've saved my ass more than once, you even let the quarry get away- yes I saw that. I enjoy this, and I want to stay and continue whatever this is- but I won't do it if you're uncomfortable."

He looked away from her, and though hope fluttered inside her, she knew more likely he'd sent her away. And she was okay with that. Well, not okay, but she would treasure the time they spent together. Even if all she'd have were the memories.

"I'm not." A smile crossed her lips at his answer, and she closed her head before she leaned against him. Her montral was against his pauldron, and though the metal was cold, she sighed, leaning further in. He stood still but felt his hand give hers a squeeze. Her heartbeat was steady, but it spread warmth through her that made her feel just so... safe. She cared for him, a lot. Maybe more than what was appropriate for just being partners, or friends even. But he was one of the few people she truly gave a shit about.

It was a weird fit, her having montrals and leaning on him, but they made it work, shifting to her cheek was pressed the pauldron, tilted at an angle so they didn't hit his helmet. The pump and scratches on the metal pinched her skin slightly but she opted to ignore it, wanting to enjoy the moment for a little longer until they were called back to pay attention to the galaxy. 

* * *

He was awake now, with them in the cockpit- Nevarro in sight. She joined them a few minutes after Mando left, staying beside the baby who seemed to sleep off all of his exhaustion, back to his usual self. He was in his cradle, looking around at the ship's cockpit- like it was the first time he'd seen such a thing while Mando received a transmission from Karga once they became to enter the planet's atmosphere. The man seemed excited to have gotten the transmission that they had gotten the asset and were on their way back. She scowled as she watched the man, who jokes about him putting the quarry's head on a wall, he just wanted to get a cut of the pay. But he was always like that, as was everyone in this business.

But could she really criticize them when she was one of them? Sure, she tried to keep her morals as best she could with the occupation- but sometimes she'd have to decide between catching a quarry or what felt right. And she was ashamed to say she did the former. It made her feel like she was slipping, that she might become as one-sighted as some of the others in the guild, who cared little for others lest it gets them closer to the prey. A small bit of movement caught her eye to look at the baby, who was clinging to the corner of his cradle, hanging off it by one hand. She took him and gently placing him on the ground- he wanted to move, so she would let him.

With watchful eyes, she smiled as he managed to get up onto the controls, and seemed enraptured by the silver ball on a lever. He twisted at it for a little bit before it popped off, which he then cradled against him like it was a precious gemstone. The child turned it around in his hands; it held his full attention that he didn't notice that he had been caught by their pilot.

The Mandalorian took it, gently though, from him right as the kid looked like he was gonna try to eat it, placing it down. He warned the kid it wasn't a toy, before picking him up by the back of his little hood and putting him back in his cradle. Neither of the hunters said anything, but the togruta discreetly picked to kid up into her arms, and using her free hand, guided the ball over to them.

She held it in one hand and twisted it to show the child, who seemed excited to see the shiny ball again. He took it from her, thankfully not trying to eat it again, just admiring it in his little hands. His ears had perked up when she had given him the ball- it was odd for this little thing to make him so happy, but she would let him enjoy these last moments of joy before what lied on the planet. Which wasn't long. "Don't let him play with that." While she had been lost in her thoughts, albeit briefly, the Mandalorian has turned slightly to see his partner giving the little guy the same ball he had taken from him. A glance to where he had put it confirmed that yes, it was the same ball. 

Strangely he was only minorly annoyed, more for her sake than at her actions. The more she interacted with the kid, the more she became attached to it- she already didn't like giving up the kid, indulging it would only make it worse. His own chest was tight from the idea of giving the kid away too. It was clear it wasn't an adoption- and from what Zelona told him, force sensitives were extremely valuable even with the Empire gone. The kid was clearly one, and the clients were Imperial. 

It didn't look good.

But a job was a job. Like he had said before they found the little guy- they weren't paid for their morals. If they were they'd have been with the Republic, or at least she would have. From what it seems she had gotten offers but declined them after her parents disappeared.

Two years now, she'd been looking for them, half of that time with him- taking the time on each planet they visited to search for them. How he wasn't sure. She'd sit on the ground with her legs crossed and eyes closed- somehow that was searching. Seemed like something her people did, so he didn't question it. He got enough questions about his culture, and it was annoying, so he didn't bother doing it to others, even if he was curious.

Zelona definitely made him curious. He wasn't sure what it was- was it her powers? Or just her as a living being. Her people were as rare as his, so he imagined they made an odd pair. Especially to those who knew of the history their peoples had together. If it were 30 years ago, perhaps they would be at each other's throats, but now in the current state of the galaxy, they were partners, watching each other's back.

He never thought he'd have someone he could trust, much less someone who wasn't a Mandalorian- but she grew on him. Her constant chatter and presence irritated him at first- but he kept her around because she offered him some credits to let her come along- and she was a decent mechanic. Around the 3rd month, he had noticed he had gotten used to having her around. It didn't mean she wasn't still annoying, but her appearance at his side had become somewhat of normality to him. Rarely had he been around someone so often for so long- it was a weird but not unwelcome change.

She noticed things. The way he liked his caf- and how to read him even with the helmet. She'd give him space- let him take the lead in jobs. She allowed herself to stay on the side unless he needed her- which at first he hated to admit. But she was skilled, and her laser sword- lightsaber he corrected himself like she always did- provided a great advantage over their rivals and enemies. That wasn't to say she wasn't a bad shot- she wasn't great but if she tried she could hit a target. Zelona always said they were too heavy, too bulky for her. He didn't understand it, but her usual style kept the fire off of him allowing him to shoot enemies down.

Despite all odds, they were a good team. And as much as he swore to himself that he'd never admit it- he enjoyed her company. Save for their first meeting, she had never asked for something in return for her help. She just did it. Sure, she would complain, but a certain glint in her eyes always told him she didn't mean it. She was happy to help, she had told him when they got banged up and didn't have the money for a mechanic. The togruta just strapped on her goggles and broke out the tools. No complaints and within a few hours, they were good to go. She couldn't fix the dents, but that wasn't important- she fixed what was.

Other than the tribe, she helped him feel like a person, and not just someone's means to an end. That wasn't to say he didn't enjoy what he did- it allowed him to perform the Creed to the best of his ability compared to other occupations, and when big things came up, the credits were always worth it. But he was just a tool for it- and like many others, if he had somehow been killed in a job, no one would shed a tear. He didn't mind, he always had the Tribe to feel like a living being- even if it were only for a short while.

She was an affectionate person, and physically affectionate he figured out within a month of working with her. He had never been a touchy-feely person, he still wasn't but he tolerated the way she showed affection. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders from behind when she was bored on the ship, grabbing his arm suddenly when startled, or squeezing his shoulder or hand when one of them was hurt or in need of comfort. She tried to take care of him, and in return, he tried his best to do the same. Though he had no idea how to take care of anyone but himself- and even then he wasn't the best at that.

Behind his helmet, he squeezed his eyes to shake him out of it. He needed to get over it- she needed to. It would be better for them both, in the long run, to just let go.

* * *

She wanted to carry him there when they landed, but her partner had firmly told her no; it would be safer for him to stay in the cradle where it could be easily closed, protecting the little being within. After a few minutes of arguing she had relented, tugging her cloak over her montrals before joining them as they entered the town.

As they came up to the gates, a ship landed a few feet from them, and she sensed the confusion and growing fear from the child. Little changed since they had left, if anything at all. There were a few more people in the market- and a lot of them looked at the two when they passed by, glimpsing at the green child whose ears flattened as he tried to lower himself to hide. She placed a hand gently on it, looking at him from the corner of her eye. She'd have given him a smile, but she couldn't. Not when they were heading to give him away to someone who could hurt him.

The two hunters had yet again debated about the issue when they landed- something they did often the small child noticed. While she didn't want to give him away- even going as far as to say she would buy a ship and leave, the Mandalorian was stubborn on his stance. Yes, he admitted that something bad could happen to the kid, something that was far more likely than 'could', but reminded the woman that if she left, there was nowhere that could be safe. They were hunters- this was their job. To hunt, not be the hunted. When it was clear neither would truly change their stance, the two of them decided it best not to speak.

So they didn't. As they turned down the streets, and down stairs to where the client would be waiting for them- they were silent. It wasn't until they had gotten to the door- where the child's fate would be sealed. The Mandalorian raised his hand to knock but stopped short. "You don't have to come in." He spoke, the helmet making him sound monotone, but she sensed his worry. She had grown attached to the child- it was true.

Besides her mother and those she knew, she had never truly gotten to know another force-sensitive like her. And this child, despite the lack of ability to communicate between them, had immediately melted her heart. She has spent so long hiding what she was to others- even now- to protect herself and those associated with her, should they be questioned where she was, but that was only thanks to others who were willing to protect her even at the cost of their own lives. Yes, that had been her parents, but there were others who had protected her.

When she was young she always told herself if she had found herself in their situation, she would do as they did. The situation had come, and she wasn't doing as they did. She wasn't fighting to protect this child, not lying to keep him safe. She barely even put up a fight. Because as much as she wanted to help this child- she was too selfish. There was little that would make her turn on her partner, and this child, sadly was not one. She may never get over it- but she couldn't bring herself to turn on Mando in order to preserve the child's life. If she could do it without, then in a heartbeat she would.

Zelona wouldn't risk Mando. And that made it all worse. Her mother had taught her to help others when they needed it, and that she had to do what was right, even if it would go against her allies' morals. With this job, she had taken that lesson and thrown it away- preserving something she wasn't even sure was truly there for a massive uncertainty.

Force-sensitives would be hunted until a new Jedi Order rose up if there ever would be one. Even then- there would be plentiful bounties on certain members as time went on. She could be one- the child already was one.

"No. We signed onto this- so we should see it through." She spoke with a rough voice, crossing her arms over her chest in frustration. They were gonna go through with it. They didn't have much choice- this was the safest option. The child looked terrified when the little robot eye stuck out- followed by the door opening to show two stormtroopers. His ears tucked so far down she could barely see them from her angle; her heart twisted.

The baby looked up to them- confused and possibly betrayed by them, as one of them took the lead to show them inside, with one at the back. In case they ran it seemed- or the 'asset'. With each step down the hall, she felt the guilt building- like she was attending this baby's execution. Who knew- she could be. One of the stormtroopers grabbed the edge of the cradle harshly, jerking it and the baby inside. "Easy with that." Mando snapped at them, surprising not just them- but her as well.

He did not show himself to care much for the kid except for what it was worth, but it seemed the short time with the child had softened him too.

The room seemed darker- and much more chilling than before. Also unlike their previous visit, they had taken a few steps from the doorway when suddenly the client and the doctor were crowding around the kid. While the client double-checked to make sure the quarry was indeed what they had asked for, the doctor scanned the baby with a machine that shown a bright red light in its eyes, clearly making him uncomfortable. Instead of saying anything, she just clenched her fist. When the scan was complete, the doctor gave a smile and confirmed that the child was indeed, very healthy.

The client straightens and looked right at the Mandalorian, not even acknowledging her existence. "Your reputation was not unwarranted." But then he looked at her, really looked at her, from montral to toe. His eyes lingered ever so slightly on her waist, where she too looked and felt her body stiffen when the sight of her lightsaber clipped to her belt greeted her. 

Thankfully, it seemed her partner had something on his mind. "How many fobs did you give out?" His voice was firm, his best way of demanding an answer without angering anyone. The man's attention was driven away from her- back to the Mandalorian.

As she expected, the old man jumped to his defense. "This asset was of extreme importance to me." The way he spoke about the kid like it were an object made her stomach twist and her fist clench tighter, feeling the sting of her nails pinching her skin through the gloves. "I had to ensure its delivery." If it were possible, her eyes narrow more, but he didn't see or ignored it- as this man seemed perfectly content to do with her. "But to the winner..." She was wondering when this would come up, or if they had walked into a trap. But for all of the shadiness that this man was, it seemed he was more than willing to pay the price he had put on the kid. He pulled up a case, pushing a few buttons on the lock and turning the handle of the top, revealing a large collection of beskar slabs. "- go the spoils."

The sight entranced her partner, who walked forward slowly, not even turning when the baby whined, unlike she. While he admired the beskar, a treasure so important to his people that had long since been lost to them- the Togruta had stepped forward when they began to take the child down a hallway off of the main room. A hand stopped her, one of the stormtroopers putting his arm out in front of her, shoving her back. "Such a large bounty, for such a small package." The man's eyes glinted as the two hunters watched the baby being taken, the beskar all but forgotten in the Mandalorian's hands. The togruta had stepped forward when the child had cried, ears lowering as his eyes filled with something not unlike terror, only to stop when a stormtrooper stood in her way.

When her partner spoke after the doors closed, it seemed like he had just swallowed, or was trying to hold back giving anything away. "What are your plans for it?"

The man didn't flinch. "How uncharacteristic of one of your reputation. You have taken both commission and payment. Is it not the code of the guild that these events are now forgotten?" Then the old man looked to her, acknowledging her presence for the first time since when they first arrived. "That Beskar is enough to make a fine replacement for your armor. Unfortunately," the man gave a mocking grin, "finding a Mandalorian in these trying times, is more difficult than finding the steel."

Mando placed the two slabs that he had held back in, but made no movement to take the case, looking at the door. She sensed his conflict- the reward would help his people, and him, but at the cost of the child who saved his life. It seems the man sensed this. "If that is truly not enough for you to forget, perhaps an," the man returned to his desk and pulled out six more slabs of beskar, "addition, is to be made." The grin he gave made her stomach twist and drop all at the same time. 

Her partner stared at the bars for a brief moment before looking back at the man. "What's the catch?" A bit of her sighed with relief that he didn't immediately take it. Even if it was the metal of his people, he wasn't stupid enough to take it without assuming there wasn't a reason for the sudden addition.

Any small bit of relief was crushed then when the man looked at her, and gestured to her with his hand. "Your friend there. She shares a..." he clicked his tongue and she wanted nothing more than to make a break for it, " _unique_ characteristic with the asset. Perhaps, she too, could join the quarry for a higher payment?" She involuntarily took a step back only for a hand to grip her upper arm harshly. The stormtrooper did not respond to his snarl, only holding her there in place. 

The entire room waited for the Mandalorian's answer.

This is what would do her in. Or would it? He had asked her to stay, to be his partner in the hunting business, but this was beskar, that of his people and could do who knew what for the tribe hidden below the city's surface. Zelona was ashamed to say she couldn't tell which outcome was more likely. Mando looked at the additional beskar, then to her, and finally, the man, who was smirking like he had the advantage. Perhaps he did- if the deal went his way.

The grip on her arm was released when he had said a firm, "no." to the man, closing the case of beskar. "My partner is not for sale." He said nothing, just tilting his helmet to her towards the door, making sure she was in front of him as they made their exit, as the old man frowned behind them.

* * *

Before they had headed to the Armorer, for new armor, duh, she had asked to stop at a stall real quick, using the money she had originally been planning to buy a ship with, to buy some more parts for her lightsaber. Thanking the merchant for the purchase, she joined back up with her partner, explaining what she had done. When they got back to the ship, she would craft her second saber. A distraction, she knew, from what they had done. He seemed to think the same, having wanted to go to the Armorer before seeing Karga.

She followed him down the narrow, curved, stairwell into the tunnels, drawing attention from the Mandalorians who were already there. Many of them were leaned against the wall, brandishing weapons or checking their armor when they noticed the odd pair. While they regarded Mando as one of their own, though suspicious of what was in the package he held, they clearly were wearier of her. And she understood it- outsiders were not to be trusted, but it seemed that her association with her partner had meant she had some degree of trustworthiness. They twisted down many tunnels before they arrived at the Armorer, many of the Mandalorians of the Tribe following them out of curiosity or suspicion. 

She was waiting for them, already knelt before the bench. Zelona stepped off to the side, leaning against the wall while Mando placed the cache in front of the Armorer, kneeling on the opposite side after he had opened it. She too seemed to be bewitched by the sight of the Beskar, reaching for it tentatively, selecting 5 slabs to put aside, but not before she admired it. The togruta saw from the corner of her eye, that many of the Tribe had gathered at the entryway to watch.

After she examined all of the slabs, the Armorer nodded. "This amount can be shaped many ways." She hummed, dividing the slabs into small piles. Mando expressed his need for new armor, and it seemed the smith agreed with him. Before she did anything with it, she had warned him that while it may give him a new set of protection, it would draw many eyes.

Her partner could not respond, not when a Mandalorian they had passed in the tunnel, a large man, about a head taller than she, snatched one of the beskar slabs. He held it in his hands, brushing his thumb over the Imperial stamp, and scoffed, showing it to the others behind him. "These were cast in an Imperial smelter. Spoils of the Great Purge." He tossed the slab onto the table carelessly. "The reason we live hidden like sand rats." He spat.

The Armorer added the tossed piece to a pile without thought and spoke in the leveled voice she had. "Our secrecy is our survival. Our survival is our strength."

She barely finished before the man had pointed out that their strength was once in their numbers. "Now we live in the shadows and only come above ground one at a time." With each word, the man became angrier, and it seemed to now be directed at Mando. "Our world was _shattered_ by the Empire, with whom this coward shares tables." The man went to reach for her partner's helmet, but as soon as he got a grip, Mando retaliated. His arm opposite of the man snatched his wrist to pry him off but the taller man grabbed his shoulder, yanking him to his feet as the two began to scuffle.

As soon as he had touched the helmet she was on her feet, ready to defend her friend, but now that the two seemed to be brawling, aiming to knock the other's helmet off, or in Mando's case keep his helmet on, she sighed. They were being children. The larger man's arm was slammed away by a blow with Mando's elbow, who then grabbed a knife-

"Enough!" She used both hands and whipped them apart from each other, holding them against opposite walls. Zelona held them there for a good moment or so before she let them drop to their feet, feeling the waves of shock and surprise around her. "Stop being children and work through this like adults." She turned her gaze to the large man, scowling at him. "What does it matter where it was smelted? The important thing is that it is back where it belongs, _with your people_." She snapped at him, and if she were thinking straight, she could've sworn she saw him flinch. The togruta rolled her eyes in annoyance. _Men._

"It appears we are not the only ones in hiding. For a time it seemed the Jedi were lost to the galaxy." The Armorer hummed as she stood, examining the Togruta carefully. By looking over her shoulder she saw many of the tribe had their hands half-reached for their weapons, prepared to gun down the outsider if she proved a threat. The female Mandalorian looked to Mando, who had decided to sheath his knife but still seemed on edge. " _Gar kar'tayl_?" The Armorer spoke to him in Mandalorian- something everyone but her would understand.

" _Elek._ " He responded in turn.

The Armorer seemed to accept the answer but still asked another question. " _Vaabir gar ruusaanyc_?"

This time he responded without hesitancy, which was either good or bad for her. " _Troch._ "

She nodded and looked to her other Mandalorians who stood in the doorway, looking wearily to the Togruta, to the Jedi. "Stand down. Just as us, she knows well what it is to live in secrecy. And she is correct: the Empire is no longer, and the Beskar has returned," when the others calmed down, no longer ready to fire on her if she so much as blinked, the Armorer continued, "When one chooses to walk the Way of the Mandalore, you are both hunter and prey. How can one be a coward if one chooses this way of life?" She looked to Mando, who had come back and sat down across from her. "Have you ever removed your helmet?" He denied it, and she then asked if it were removed by anyone else, and she noticed some looked to her. He denied it too. The armorer looked at her and she gave a slight nod, as though to confirm what her partner had said. "This is the Way," she spoke, and all the others echoed her words in unison. 

Despite how weird in was that they answered in sync, or maybe that was just her, she had to admire how despite the quarrels and differences Mandalorians could come together simply by their way of life. But then, there were many things she admired about them.

The Armorer examined the damaged armor of her partner, likely to see what she would need to craft, and what she would not. Her hand passed lightly over the large crack in his armor, question what had done this. He answered, and seemed shocked when the Armorer declared he had earned his signet, and she would craft it. But he denied it. It was not an honorable kill. "I was aided by the enemy." Those were his exact words. Again, she felt several pairs of eyes on her, but she didn't meet any of them, least of all his. Her chest hurt.

They were partners, but the Jedi were still the enemy of his people. And despite the Armorer's order to stand down, she still felt like there was a blaster pointed at her. From certain histories she had read, many Mandalorians would consider it a high honor to have slain a Jedi- and perhaps that still cared on hundreds of years later. It wouldn't shock her. When asked to explain, he said "It did not know it was my enemy." 

The kid.

With that, the Armorer began. Through the blue flames of the smelter, she watched the beskar melt, ridding the metal of the Imperial signet on them.

She watched as the woman crafted something known as Whistling birds, which appeared to be darts, or perhaps a miniature missile of sorts, into a new gauntlet that came with a contraption to fire them.

A holo was drawn up of what the armor would look like when she was finished, and with the plan finished, she could begin the process.

With each pound, be it by the Armorer's hammer, or machinery, she felt flashes. But not of her own- from Mando. While she never tried to invade his privacy, he made it hard sometimes- he hid his emotions so well physically that they were obvious mentally. Though she could not understand what she was feeling- it was panic, confusion, fear, she felt his memories.

 **Pound.** There were people being gunned down.

 **Pound.** Parents clutching their child as they ran.

 **Pound.** The sound of a ship flying overhead.

 **Pound.** People screaming in the streets, fleeing from droids.

 **Pound.** A child watched an explosion from his hiding place.

* * *

With the armor complete, the two of them departed. She felt an uncertain pride from Mando, as he walked beside her. Swinging her hip, she bumped him, tilting her head when he looked at her. He sighed and shook his head.

The Beskar was gorgeous. A silver coloring, not too dark and not too bright, shone in the sunlight, catching nearly everyone's attention. He was warned, but he paid little mind to the eyes that ate up his appearance. And she honestly could not blame them. Zelona could not put her finger on it, but the new armor gave him a new aura, one that was more mysterious, and much, _much_ more alluring; and like the others, she could not say she was unaffected.

The cantina was full- something she didn't often see- chattering coming from every corner of the place. He allowed her in first, and it was like he had set something off; everyone inside fell silent. They stared at the two of them, and the Mandalorian's prize. He wore it proudly, ignoring the attention, going to Karga who could set them up with their next job. She followed him, and effortlessly slid into the seat across from Karga, unlike her partner who stood there for a moment.

Karga was holding back a laugh and gestured to the entire cantina. "They all hate you two. Because you're now legends!" He laughed, but it being the only sound in the cantina made it more awkward than amusing. The entire place was watching him, watching what he would do- openings for attacks, anything to give them the upper hand.

"How many of them had tracking fobs." He questioned, not bothering to sit until the question was answered.

Now Karga wasn't even trying to be discreet anymore if he was before. "All of them. All of them!" He exclaimed the repeated louder, waving his hands at the people at the bar. "But not one of them closed the deal. Only you, Mando. Only you." The human looked at her. "I'm not selling you short, Darr, but unlike your man here, you aren't walking around with new gear screaming of your victory." He laughed, oblivious to the tension that the use of 'your man' had brought the pair. "And with it, the richest reward in the parsec!" He gestured to the seat Zelona was on, telling the Mandalorian to please sit, ready to discuss and boast about the pair's victory. Though it was clear he would be the one getting the praise. She was okay with that, after all, keeping low is what she did best.

Her partner took off her rifle, holding it in his hand as she scooted aside to make room for him. Once he was seated, she placed her elbow on the back of the chair, her fingertips grazing his pauldron. Karga raised a brow at them but did not mention it. "They're all weighing the Beskar in their minds, but not me. I, for one, I celebrate your success- because it is my success. Hell!" He parted his jacket away to show two slabs of beskar on his inner pocket. "Thanks to you two, even I am rich!" He laughed, stuffing them back into his pocket, ignoring the way Mando followed the beskar in his hands. "Now, what can I do to show my gratitude for my favorite hunters? A vacation for the lovers to Naboo, perhaps?" He offered them, chuckling at the way Zelona's lekku darkened ever so slightly.

It was a running joke he had with them. Because he was so popular, and most people knew him as a loner, everyone assumed she was his lover of sorts. At first, they denied it, but eventually, it became tiresome, so they stopped. Rumors were not reality- but it seemed even Karga believed there was more to the partnership between the two of them.

Mando ignored the comment about them, diving right in. "I want our next job."

Karga was confused. "Next job? Take some time off, enjoy yourselves. Did I not mention Naboo?" The older man chuckled at them, almost alarmed that they were ready to go back in as soon as possible, rather than spending some time to themselves to truly enjoy their victory.

"We want our next job, Karga." She spoke next, meeting the man's eyes and raising a brow.

His lips pushed together in a flat line, but he shrugged. "Sure, fine." He dug out a few pucks and laid them out in front of them. "You hunters like to keep busy, huh? Wonder what you'd do for honeymoons." The last sentence was a mumble. "These are all far away."

"The farther the better," Mando answered. His answer surprised her, maybe she had been reading him wrong- or perhaps he was better at suppressing his feelings than she had believed. Perhaps it was to stop himself from doing something stupid- or to run away from the betrayed face the child had before he disappeared. Either one was a believable answer.

And it was this answer that sealed her decision.

"Pardon me," she stood up, startling the men. "But I'm going to make sure the ship is good to go. Get the biggest bounty you can, then hurry your ass over and we'll be on our way." Her voice was firm as she looked at Mando, then dipped her head in goodbye, turning onto her heel to walk out the door.

The two of them were silent, watching her figure until the door closed behind her, and they faced each other. "So," Karga started, a slow nod nudging his head back and forth, "she wears the pants in the relationship, huh?"

A sigh was his only answer.

* * *

She may as well have sprinted back to the ship, because her heart was pounding when she got there, calling the ramp down and clambering inside. Zelona walked over to the ladder and hauled herself up to the top, but instead of going to the cockpit, she went to the empty room behind it. It was just a space they used when they had too many carbonite statues inside or needed room down below. When it wasn't being used for that, it had become her meditation room, as evident by a small chair near the back. The togruta shrugged the bag off her shoulder. It was time.

She pulled out all of the spare parts and aligned them accordingly. Slowly, she pulled off the necklace with the crystal, staring at the small blue stone before placing it near the middle of the parts. And finally, she pulled out the metal pieces she had bought earlier- putting them on the outside of the aligned pieces- for together it would craft the hilt. It had been 12 years since she had done this- but she still remembered the day as if it were yesterday. The feel of the crystal as it called to her, and the clicks as all the parts came together, and the hum of her new weapon to confirm she had done it.

A fond memory, one that made her smile. One she'd have to rely on, for unlike last time, her mother was not here to guide her. Zelona knelt down in front of the parts, crossing her legs on the ground, double-checking that she had everything where it needed to be and that she wasn't missing any of it. Nothing seemed off, and so, she began.

Her eyes closed and held her hands out gently to guide the pieces into the air; and slowly she pushed her hands closer to one another, each movement allowing for more pieces to connect together- to craft something new. A sway of her hand and the crystal fell into place, tilt the other hand, and the grip adjusted to fit the hilt.

And then, it was done. Once the weapon was completed, she felt it lay into her awaiting hand. The hilt was long, though not as much as her other one, and it had more grip than her main hand. From the teachings she had been taught by her mother, the offhand saber was more for defense than offense, who advised her to craft a hilt where she could have a strong grip no matter what.

Just to be certain, she activated it. A blue blade shot up, blazing to life with a buzzing hum that echoed in the room. She twisted it in her offhand, as fluid as though she had been doing it for years. With the weapon complete, all she would have to do was wait for her partner. Even if he didn't come with- she believed he deserved to know what she was about to do. Apparently, she wasn't as selfish as she had believed. The revelation left neither positive nor negative feelings in her head. The togruta looked down at her bag once more and picked it up to fish out a small metal ball. She stuffed it in there before they left the ship, not bothering to put it back. She had no clue why the kid liked it so much, maybe she kept it as a memento for him.

Zelona left the room, only for her stomach to drop at the sound of Mando activating the ship's engines. Her legs took her across the hall to the cockpit where the door was open. He was reaching for the lever, but he stopped. The ball was gone. "You looking for this?" She spoke softly, though from the way he turned she may as well have shouted. The small metal ball was in her hand, showing him.

A feeling of sorrow clouded her mind as she stepped forward, and began to put the ball back where it belonged. No words were spoken. No complaints or protests that they needed to go back for the kid. She had already made her choice- but she wouldn't do it without her partner.

She left it up to him.

She didn't want to force him, not to do something like this, that would ruin everything he had worked for. If he decided to leave, she'd regret not going- but in time, she may be able to live with herself. Or she would live long enough to feel bad. It was a roll of the dice.

He grabbed the lever to take off but didn't move it. He let go of it slowly, and he stared into the unknown, thoughtful. Her eyes closed as she heard the engines whirl to life- only to die. Her eyes opened, watching him flip off switched, turning off systems, then spinning the chair around to stand up. He was muttering under his breath, the tone exposing his annoyance at what he- _they_ \- were about to do.

Neither of them moved, just watching one another, waiting for the other to say something. To yell, to move, to do anything.

Zelona couldn't help the way her heart swelled with a fondness for the man standing across from her, so she couldn't even regret what she did. She walked up to him, and ever so lightly place a brief kiss on the side of his helmet. It was done as soon as it had begun, almost like it had never happened, the way she slid down the ladder afterward. 

He watched her leave and stood for a moment before following beside her, grabbing his rifle on the way out.

* * *

She waited below while he scouted out the building, using his scanners to hear parts of a conversation, as well as see the thermal signature of those in the area. When he came back and told her what he had heard- it seemed she was correct. Experimentation, or at least that's what it sounded like. Either way, the doctor had mentioned keeping the baby alive, which in this situation was always bad.

"Alright. Let's split. I'll get the kid, you take out the defenses."

The Mandalorian huffed what sounded like laughter. "Giving me the hard job?"

A smile broke out on her lips, despite the circumstances. "What else gets people's attention better than something that's big, shiny, and makes things explode?" He hummed, knocking on his new chest plate. "Just don't get blown up. We'll meet in the middle. Got the com?" He nodded, showing her it attached to his wrist, same as hers. 

She split off from him, round to the back of the building, then sneakily making her way to the roof. All she had to do was wait for him to give her an opening, and likely, that opening would be very loud and damaging. 

Loud it was. The side of the building blew- a wall giving out, leaving a crumbling pile of stone and a swarming dust storm. A part of her rolled her eyes- he did always like to make it flashy- before she creeped across the roof. She was searching for the child's energy, but it was hard when it was dim, weak. That and she'll be honest, she was just shit at recognizing signatures. 

With a 'screw it' she broke out her blade and cut a hole into the roof, big enough for her to squeeze through. She lifted it up, allowing her to slip inside.

It was dark, and there was a lot of boxes, crates, and other things lining the walls, providing good hiding places whenever a trooper rushed by. Though faint, she could hear the faint sound of blaster firing. Good- it was far away, and everyone would be going there. As a patrol of three storm troopers rushed past the pile of crates she was behind, she slipped over to the next door.

The door revealed the room that the client had met them in. Now, it was empty. She slinked over to the desk, making sure to place her feet lightly as to not cause noise- and knelt down. He kept the beskar here, didn't he? She opened all the little drawers, but there was nothing. Shit.

Thankfully the room was good for something, because the hallway where she had last seen the child was to her right. Ducking behind the desk when a trooper came by, holding her breath when she heard them pause- Zelona slipped over to the hallway when the sounds of blaster fire got louder. 

It was a long hallway with many doors, none of them open. It was like walking through a minefield- trying to get through without a door opening. Best case- it was Mando, worse case- she was dead. The last door on her left was the only one with nose coming behind it. So creeping up to the door, she listened- hearing only the sounds of machinery on the other side. Zelona took the risk and entered the room- where a doctor, trooper, and child were waiting for her. 

Upon seeing her, the trooper aimed his blaster, only to be slammed into the ceiling, and then dropped to the ground. The doctor threw himself in between her and the kid, holding a hand out pleading- _don't hurt him! It's only a child_ \- a flick of her hand and the doctor was thrown aside, pleading for her not to hurt him.

She approached the table, and while she was glad to see the baby's vitals were all well- the fact that he wasn't moving, only alive from the rise and fall of his chest made her activate her blade and point it at him. "What did you do to him?" When the doctor whimpered she repeated herself, this time much harsher.

"I-I protected him! Please! If it weren't for me, he would already be dead!" Pershing, she remembered the doctor's name to be, pleaded, covering his face with his hands like that could defend him from a lightsaber. She didn't want to believe him- she really didn't. But she sensed no deception, and it matched to his previous behavior, constantly interrupting the client to make it clear the asset was wanted _alive_. 

Zelona looked to the baby, then to him. Her hand snatched the collar of his shirt, he pleaded more, only for him to be silenced when she knocked him out with a whack over the head with the hilt of her blade. "A life for a life," she mumbled, clipping the saber to her belt and turning back to the kid. He was still sleeping, though it was likely drug induced. Scooping him out, she found a rag that she wrapped him up in, and cradled him against her. He let out a small whine, and she cooed to him, slipping out of the room.

By the time a trooper had arrived, she was long gone, and so was the child.

Getting to Mando proved to be the hard part, unsurprisingly. He was very good at getting people's attention, whether he meant to or not. She ducked behind some crates as another patrol went past her, and unlike when she got the kid, she followed them after a short while. Likely they were going to flush out the intruder- and intruder meant Mando. Mando meant escape.

She lost them in a store room, which unlike the rest of the place had a little color to it. Probably because it was the one room that had it's lights on, giving the room some warm yellow highlights. She was a few steps from the other door when it opened, revealing two troopers with their blasters raised. Instinctively, the Togruta tucked the baby against her chest and turned to go back- but there were two more troopers. They snapped at her, repeatedly telling her to lower the child and to put her hands up. 

She did nothing.

They got closer, and their shouts were louder and harsher, to the point she was certain they were spitting under their masks. Finally, she did as she was told, and knelt down to place the child on the ground. She watched him for a moment, relieved to see that his eyes were peeked open, but he stilled looked out of it. Damn, must've been strong stuff. Or too much for his little body.

She heard one come up behind her, ready to cuff her, when she snatched her blade and impaled him, then kicked him away. She drew her other blade and deflected their fire, sending one bolt right though the visor of a trooper. Zelona stepped away from the child to slice an 'x' over the chest of the third, and seeing the forth going to the kid, launched one of her sabers- lodging itself through the eye.

The door opened again, causing her to scramble for the kid, holding her saber defensively. Her teeth were bared in a snarl, but it slipped when a familiar helmet greeted her. She let out a sigh, clipping her saber, then taking her other one from the troopers face, though she didn't clip the second one. "Have fun?" She asked, breathlessly, both from the situation and just her being happy to see him.

"A blast." He deadpanned, but smiled under his helmet when she snorted at his pun. "Come on- should be a straight shot out of here." He took the lead, going back through the door he just came through, Zelona on his heels.

Unfortunately, neither had considered the tracking fobs- all of which began to blink in unison in the Guild's cantina.

They made it through the front door, Mando checking if the coast was clear, giving the 'all-good' when he lowered his blaster. Though he did not holster it. Neither were that stupid to believe there would be zero resistance outside. It was common sense to expect opposition everywhere in this job.

She pulled her hood over her head, just to hide her colorful montrals to better sneak- following Mando by his side, not meeting anyone's eyes. As they passed an alleyway, she heard a beeping, in a rapid pattern. Her heart froze. As did her feet, it seemed, when Mando looked back at her, and took her by the elbow to guide her along. "Mando, we forgot the hobs-" she hissed, but stopped when she felt and noticed that they were being tailed. One- no two- a third joined them.

The market was in front of them- and then it was a sprint to the ship. Almost there. She heard a little huff against her, her arm tightening on him, holding the baby as close as she could without suffocating him. There were Guild members everywhere- on the sides, and a few by the entrance. If they wanted out- they'd have to shoot their way to freedom. However, they were at a disadvantage, the 2 of them against what looked to be over 25 guild members, all of them having their blasters aiming for either of the pair.

The pair stopped when the circle closed, Karga standing at the head of the entrance, hands on his hips. "I must say- I'm disappointed Mando. Always thought you had a strong mind. And yet, here we are, you being enraptured by a Jedi. Forced to fight against the very Guild that provided you with everything you have." The man tsked, and from her wide eyes, and the way Mando stiffened beside her- he thought an explanation was in order. "The client put out a bounty on your girl there- nearly as much as the kid. Called her a Jedi- at first I didn't believe it- but if you've turned against the Guild, I don't see any other reason besides her twisting her mind." Her lips pulled back in a scowl as he spoke. Just hours, his voice was warm, and now it was colder than ice. As to be expected from the Guild, she supposed. Their alligence followed the money.

Mando reached for his blaster, almost robotically; for a moment she looked at him. Her heart was in her stomach as Karga's words got to her, even if she didn't admit it. Did she force him into this? Did she have a subconscious hold over him, influencing his behavior? She didn't want that. She didn't want that for him. Her partner didn't take kindly to the idea, holding up his blaster. "Step aside. We're going to the ship." He spoke like there wasn't nearly 30 blasters aimed at him, shoot to kill. His voice monotone and even- even for him. 

Karga let out a bitter chuckle, lightly nodding his head. "She's got her claws in deep, doesn't she? No wonder her bounty is high; if she's able to hold this much control over you." He looked at the two force-users, the togruta trying to shield the child from them. "Let the bounties go- and _then_ perhaps you can leave." Now she felt sick. And she didn't know which was worse: that Karga thought Mando was being controlled by her, or that he was telling her partner to turn on her and the kid. No, it was the former. The latter wasn't even surprising, but it did nothing to calm the dread that creeped up her back. "Put the kid on the speeder." Nope.

That was until Mando's blaster was pointed at her. While normally, she would have been outraged, and admittedly she was still shocked and hurt, she read his body language. Too tense for him when he was chasing a bounty- only when he was carefully planning his moves. Only when he was protecting. His emotions told her nothing, so she was riding on faith alone. At the jerk of his blaster, she slowly made her way over to the speeder, driven by a droid, who seemed oblivious to the conflict around them. "Wait," she stopped and looked at Karga. "Why should Mando trust you?" Inside her, she could tell if she was trying to act, or if this was something she genuinely wanted to know. If they heard a reason- then it could change what happened next.

"Because I'm his only hope." He spoke firmly, fixing her with a judging look, almost challenging her to one-up him. She had nothing. But part of that was because (hopefully) Mando wasn't actually choosing to side with them, just getting her to the speeder- which was covered in crates to be used as cover and a droid to drive. She was at the edge of the speeder when the first shot fired. Mando flipped himself around, shooting those closest to them as she dived onto the speeder, behind some crates and he followed shortly behind her.

She set the child down next to her and pulled out her sabers, deflecting fire- though there was too much for her to truly aim as she sent it back flying. Still, she knocked down two guys by hitting them in the shoulder, and a Rodian when she got him between the eyes.

The speeder underneath her jerked, and she stumbled onto her butt, narrowly missing the kid. Seeing the droid was now driving, and Mando was shooting, she wrapped the kid up into her arms again, and used her abilities to fling things that were in their path at the enemies. A barrel hit a guy in the head, and she sent a person flying into another man-

A show of sparks flared in front of them as the droid screeched, the speeder crashing into a small pile of tanks. Zel had curled herself around the kid, while she noticed Mando positioned himself over her, holding his rifle, having just shot a hunter into dust. He continued to fire as she brought herself to her feet, snatching the blaster he discarded for his rifle, aiming at any of the 20 hunters that still remained.

After he shot a third victim, the rest of the crowd ducked behind various covers. She tried her best to help by flinging the crates being used as cover, but she nearly got her head blown off from a blaster bolt that went right between her montrals.

It came to a stand still- no one moved, fearful that the Mandalorian or Jedi would rip them apart. Karga, from his place behind the corner of an outstretched wall called to them. "That's an impressive weapon!" He tried to make it casual, though everyone knew it was everything but. "I guess you are in the right of mind!" She didn't know at this point whether to be amused to think she was capable of such power, or annoyed that they believed she was mond controlling him. 

"Here's whats gonna happen!" Mando called from his spot next to her. "We're walking back to our ship- and we're taking the kid. And you're gonna let it happen." 

Karga snorted, bringing his own offer to the table. "No. How about this: We take the kid- and the Jedi. If you stop us we'll kill you and strip your body for parts." Neither sounded like a good deal. Wait, the first one did, let's do that. 

"How about no?" The man next to her responded, just as she saw movement from the corner of her eye. Her saber was ignited within a moment, embedded in one of their chests, while Mando stabbed the other, electricuting him. As soon as they did, the other hunters moved in, shooting at them. She could barely peek out a montral without being shot at- making deflecting the blasters near impossible with the baby in her arm.

Mando activated his flame thrower, warding off the hunters closest to them, allowing for her to peak up and throw two against the walls, hard enough to take them out for a bit- however the energy in the flamethrower died down, and they were forced to go behind cover again.

Believing this to be their- or at least her last moments, she looked at Mando, then reached out with her free arm and grabbed his hand, interlocking their fingers. She gave him a look before she swallowed and allowed a smile that said 'at least we tried' and gave his hand a squeeze. He returned the grip, and though she could not see his face, she felt comforted nonethe-

Shouts came from behind them. But not of victory- those of pain and terror, so she took a risk, peeking her head around a box, and the sight nearly made her heave with joy. Mandalorians flew over the roof of one building, using their jetpacks, shooting down the hunters. About 5 of them had shown up, taking out enemies, or at the least drawing the fire from them.

"Oh thank fuck- I could kiss them-" she babbled in relief as she watched them, awed as the destruction they could bring. They came for them- for Mando anyways. One of them was in trouble, and they came to his aid. More hunters seemingly spawned out of nowhere- as did more Mandalorians. Including the one Mando had fought earlier, unleashing his bulky wrath upon them.

"Get out of here!" The Mandalorian barked at the two of them only pausing his fire for a minute. "We'll hold them off." She immediately obeyed, hopping out, then looking at the bulky Mandalorian.

"Hey!" She called to him, and he looked at her. "Thank you."

He simply nodded to her, "This is the Way," and once more he was firing upon them. She turned to Mando, and seeing him not moving, she grabbed his arm and yanked him to his feet.

"We have to go!" She shouted, shaking his shoulder. He looked at his people as they fought, but then looked to her and nodded, following her and she booked it to the ship. She sped up the ramp and grabbed onto the ladder to haul herself up and get them-

"Hold it, Mando." Karga's voice snapped. He was right behind them. The Mandalorian turned to him, seeing Karga's blaster trained on him, the man breathing heavily. "I didn't want it to come to this. But then you broke the Code. Both of you." His blaster pointed to her, and Mando stepped slightly to the side, in between them.

His head tilted, looking at one of the carbon chambers he had and with a snap of his cable, tripped the controls, sending carbon spray everywhere. It blocked visibility for both parties, but allowed them to duck and escape. Karga shot at them blindly, thankfully missing them- the man was sent flying backwards with a shot to the chest. Right where he-

Her eyes widened, though no one saw. Once the spray was finished, she handed the baby to Mando, who despite his calls for her to come back, did not follow her and she went to Karga's body.

Her hands tugged back his jacket where he got shot, thankfully her body blocking Mando's view. It was like she thought. Two slabs of Beskar. One of her hands was on Karga's chest, and she felt his breathing. While her other hand nabbed the bars she whispered so only he could hear, "don't make me regret this," and she was gone, bouncing back into the ship, following Mando up the ladder to the cockpit.

She threw herself into the chair, taking the kid in her airs so Mando could fly. "What were you thinking?" He shouted at her as he activated it all so they could take off.

She pulled out the slabs, aiming the spot where the blaster hit away from him. "He still had his Beskar! Thought it would come in handy!" She slipped the pieces into her back, and prepared herself for the sudden take-off. Unlike most, they went nearly straight up for the atmosphere of the planet.

As they leveled out, the bulky Mandalorian from earlier flew up next to them with his jetpack, giving Mando a salute before he twisted away, heading back for the surface. "I need to get one of those." Her Mandalorian mumbled to herself, making her snort.

"Can we make it two?" He gave her a look under the helmet and she held up a hand in defense. "Alright- fine. But just know you'll be carrying me then." She joked, earning a sigh, though it was not the annoyed kind. She startled when he held out something to her. Upon inspection- it was the silver ball. And he wasn't holding it to her, he was giving it to the kid in her lap, who eagerly reached for it. She played the messenger, taking it from Mando to give to the kid. "Softie." She hummed, ignoring him when he questioned her.

* * *

They had jumped through hyper-space, and now were just hanging there, deciding on what do to next. Neither had many ideas other than find an empty planet, wait it out. Problem was what kind of planet. Not dry- none of them would enjoy that. Tropical wouldn't work either- too many things that could pass the child off as a snack. But something was bothering her more than her destination.

"Hey, Mando?" He hummed in return, looking through various planets, trying to find one for them to lay low on. "Did I force you to do this?" She questioned softly, looking at the kid in the seat over from her, totally consumed by the shiny ball. "What Karga said- like it's not mind control- but did I force any of this on you?" 

She looked down, but saw his feet turn to face her, showing that he had turned the chair. "No. You didn't." He seemed so sure with his answer, she didn't understand it.

"Nothing he said got to you?" A pause.

"Can you actually control people?" He finally asked, and it was then she met his eye- or helmet more accurately.

Her lips curved in a small smile. "Only the weak minded. So you got to be an idiot for it to work. Even then, it's not control- it's like a suggestion. Simple things- like getting someone to let you pass by- unlock a door, just the simple things. Mom could do more complicated ones, but I only know the ones that helped me stay low, you know?"

"Good to know I'm not an idiot." He hummed and twisted the chair back around. A fond smile crossed her face she watched him, like he was talking to himself, little nods and shakes of the head as he looked over planets.

"Oh no, you are. But you're a special kind of idiot." She stood up and came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders from behind, placing a kiss to the side of his helmet again. "You're my idiot." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uggghhhh... I felt it got a little OOC there at the end... but I have no fakking clue how Mando would act around someone he has known and trusted for a year, much less someone who he likes. uuugghhhhhh and as for all the bullshit mind control stuff karga was saying- not a lot of people actually knew what Jedi could do, and I imagine over the years the rumors got dumber so boom!
> 
> If I missed something or I got something mixed up, please let me know in the comments below!   
> And as always, thank you for taking the time to read this! <3
> 
> Translations:  
> \- Gar Kar'tayl : You know (of her abilities)  
> \- Elek: Yes  
> \- Vaabir gar ruusaanyc: Do you trust her  
> -Troch: Absolutely


End file.
